A Threat to Rachel Berry
by emiko150
Summary: Many people think that Jesse St. James' deception started long before his encounter with Rachel Berry at the music store, but did it really? Mostly St. Berry with Finn/Rachel
1. Chapter 1

If my theory is wrong about Jesse, I'm SORRY. I wrote this BEFORE the episodes after "Hell-O" came out.

A Threat to Rachel Berry

The final note was hit perfectly. As expected of someone as talented as him, Jesse St. James. Being a senior in high school and the star of Vocal Adrenaline was nice and all, but singing with all the others, didn't even feel right. They were all… _beneath_ his level and to be singing next to him should be considered a great honor, considering that they're dancing wasn't nearly as fluid nor sharp as his and their singing was never quite as on pitch as his own. Was there anyone in his age group worthy of his monumental talent?

He began thinking of the time he watched an amateur group at Sectionals, hoping to get a good laugh and get a boost in ego, not that he needed it. He knew he was the best. Those girls from James Adams Academy were only mediocre and the people surrounding him _clearly_ had never heard of the concept of "hairography," since they had praised their performance so much. Haverbrooks School's students were heart-warming, not all that amazing, but it's not like he was such a jerk that he'd criticize them.

And then, she came onto the stage. She had dashed out in a blue dress and he recognized the song from the first note she sang. "Don't Rain on My Parade." That was a brave song to sing, considering that Barbara was such a difficult person to be compared to. And he could already see that she was nothing in comparison to her. But, she had talent; that was for sure. He decided that because of _one_ girl, that there was no contest between the others at Sectionals. Even if they had faced other schools, she would have crushed them, of course excluding Vocal Adrenaline because he was there, and _he _would have crushed _her_.

Unknowingly, he was smiling throughout her wonderful solo and she had walked past him on the aisles, though she paid him no heed. She had reached the stage and even without the spotlight that shined ten times brighter than the average one, she seemed to glow even more. She didn't need a spotlight, as her voice was good enough. He frowned when other voices began to accompany hers, ruining that wonderful aria she had, a flawed one, but it was brimming with excellence all the same. She didn't need those other people by her side. He had almost forgot that this was a choir and other people were supposed to be there to harmonize.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the seat when he saw that her smile grew brighter as her partner had joined her. He searched through the program and matched the male and female leads with the names: Rachel Berry. Clearly, she was the one who had exuded the brilliance throughout the performance and then the male lead was some amateur by the name of Finn Hudson. Then again, everyone was an amateur when he thought about. No one could ever compare to him, not even this "Rachel Berry." He left once the curtain closed. He didn't need to know the results, he already knew.

The next time he had seen her, he was driving with a few "friends" of his who were also in Vocal Adrenaline. He clenched his teeth as he saw that she was happily sharing a milk shake with the male lead from Sectionals. What was his name again? Phil Harris? Why did he bother pretending? He knew the guys name: Finn Hudson. But, acting like he didn't remember others' names made him feel more superior since he didn't see them as good enough competition to remember their names. He would always remember hers though. Rachel Berry.

He momentarily wondered if it would be appropriate to shove the milk shake down this "Finn Hudson's" throat since he _clearly_ wasn't staring at Rachel Berry even though they were sharing one milk shake with two straws. He followed his eye-sight and found that they lay on a blonde girl who, he noticed, was pregnant. Then his eyes shifted back to Rachel Berry. Her eyes had flitted to this girl as well and she looked down in a melancholy smile. He drove off before his friends could get back in the car with milk shakes, with them screaming after him. He ignored them.

He returned to the auditorium where Vocal Adrenaline was just practicing. He frowned as he noticed that with it being so large and empty, it was also lonely. It was lonely, being the best. He sat down at the grand piano and began training his voice, just as he did only an hour ago.

Finally, he had direct contact with her after a couple weeks. She had _nearly_ escaped from his thoughts, but the sight of her refreshed his memory. She was searching through sheet music and kept pushing the books aside when she found them unsatisfactory. She stopped at a Lionel Richie book and began leafing through the pages. She held it in front of her face when she had reached the one she was looking for. Before she had a chance to really look at the notes and sight-read it in her mind, he had pulled it away from her sight and greeted her.

She was mesmerized already by his presence and his ego received a boost from that. He began thinking of the performance he had watched at Sectionals and remembered that although she was talented, she still wasn't _that_ great to be compared to him. He lead her to the piano and read the music from the book. He sang a few lines and then she entered the song. His fingers nearly played the wrong notes. Her voice at Sectionals was a thing in the past now that he listened to her sing with him. He momentarily wondered if his greatness had rubbed off on her. He smirked as he began to play the piano louder, his voice growing in volume as well, daring her to sing that well while matching the same volume. She took that challenge as she sat with him, adding in a few of her own harmonies that were not written in the book.

He grinned at her as he continued with the melody as she sang, switching between soprano and alto melodies. He wished the song was longer than mere minutes as he wanted to sing with her forever. He had finally found someone where singing together with them felt _right_. He didn't even want to return to Vocal Adrenaline. He considered leaving his high school to join her at McKinley High and be a part of New Directions. Then, he could rub that "Finn Hudson's" nose in it when he took all the parts for the male lead and sing alongside her. He was pulled back from that thought when the song ended and people surrounding them applauded. They fell on deaf ears for once. All he could hear was the memory of her voice and all he could see was the embarrassed smile she had. His charm came on as he asked her out on a date on Friday. She merely smiled and nodded in response. He grinned and waved goodbye, leaving her with the sheet music.

He felt even more energized as he returned to practice with his fellow Vocal Adrenaline. He didn't even need to force a "show-face," all he had to do was think of the coming Friday, and the overly-excited grin would come to him. The song ended and he left the stage in a hurry, not even bothering to stay for a while to train his already perfect voice.

The next day, he had been pulled aside by his coach after practice. She said that according to one of her "sources," he had been growing closer with a certain Rachel Berry. He went over who might have seen them together and would've told one of the coaches. He felt his chances of singing with Rachel again crumble as he discovered that there would be consequences from his coach. To his surprise, she did not scold him for getting close to the competition; instead she praised him for having such a wonderful idea.

She told him to get closer to that girl, and through her, they would finally break down that Wil—Glee Club. He would never say it out loud, but he didn't want to lie to Rachel. But, he didn't want to upset his coach either. She was the reason why he was getting a full-ride to UCLA. She had pulled a few strings for him, and just as easily, she could cut those strings. Then he noticed that there was someone on the stage. He was off to the side behind the curtain, but he turned around to see Rachel, clearly, she was searching for him. He glanced back at his teacher to see that she was grinning from ear to ear. She signaled him to go and talk to her and he did. He turned the spotlight on and she was visibly startled and blinded. She worriedly asked who was there.

He waited in the shadows, watching her amusedly when she called out that she had a rape whistle. He laughed quietly about that and he revealed himself. She visibly became less tense when she saw him. He turned off the spotlight as he explained the purpose of it. She had been quick to the point and asked about what he had _just _been talking about with his coach. She wanted reassurance that she wasn't just being played by him and that she truly cared about him and if he really was, then she wanted to end it. He stared at her, then remembered that he had to deceive her now. He laughed at her suspicions and lied to her. He told her he would never hurt her and that he was real. That might've been true ten minutes ago, but after that talk with his coach, it no longer was.

She told him that it had to be kept a secret and he tried not to burst out with the truth. She hugged him and buried her face in his chest as his arms wrapped around her. He pulled her away from him and kissed her, opening his eyes to meet the eyes of his coach. She had a devious look on her face as she nodded. He looked away momentarily as if in shame then returned his attention back to Rachel. Something had happened to her before she came here. He could tell, and he found himself to be a monster when he began plotting ways to wrench her away from her McKinley High Glee Club.

One thought came to him. There was one person who might pose as a threat. And that person was Finn Hudson.

* * *

I don't know if I want to continue this. I only ended it that way so if you want me to continue it, then I can, but if not, then that's the end.


	2. Chapter 2

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 2

Rachel was beyond giddy. At this point, she felt like skipping down the halls and _singing_ about how happy she was. She didn't care that people were staring at her as if she were on drugs or the usual whispers that were exchanged as she walked along to her locker. No, this time she was _far_ too happy to let those kinds of things get to her. She twisted the lock on her locker and gazed at the picture of Jesse that she had secretly taken. She put her hand over her mouth as she giggled with overexcitement.

She closed it and was greeted by her ex-boyfriend, Finn Hudson. All that happiness had washed away and was replaced with the melancholy feeling she felt now whenever he was around. He smiled at her as if there was nothing wrong. "Hey," he said casually.

Rachel had turned red from ear to ear. She made a very Tina-like response, "W-what is it, F-Finn?" She opened her locker again in hopes of avoiding eye contact. She took out books that she had just replaced into it before he appeared. She glanced at him and saw that he was smiling with amusement now. She slammed the locker closed and looked him square in the eye. Her voice regained its confidence and her eyes shined in that "I'm-the-best-and-there's-nothing-you-can-do-to-change-that" way. "What is it, Finn? I already broke it off with Jesse." She lied and her eyes shifted just slightly.

He laughed. "I know, and I'm happy to hear that," he cleared his throat, "About what I said earlier…"

_What you said earlier? You mean how you broke my heart, or that you didn't want to be my boyfriend?_

"I meant that," he said with assurance. He noticed her teeth clench. "Uh, n-not about the b-break-up! I-I mean about—yesterday—and that I don't—augh!" He turned around and sighed as if trying to get his words together. "Look, I meant what I said when I said I wouldn't give up on you. I won't look at anyone else… just… give me another chance?" He asked with those eyes that she had difficulty saying "no," to. Not that she ever did before.

She gulped a lump down. "Y—No! No!" She quickly backed away from him before she drowned in his eyes. She had nearly said, "Yes." That was _not_ good. Rachel was never a dishonest person, and she certainly wasn't going to be dishonest with Jesse. "I'm sorry, Finn. I've moved on," she lied to him, again. She scurried away, her books being held against her chest. She glanced behind her and saw that his determined expression hadn't faltered in the least.

How Finn could still affect her that way, she would never know. Really, was she such a queen bee that she moved from one pretty flower to the next? She hurried to the glee club room and closed the door, meeting the others in the room who were all chatting freely. She silently and tentatively moved across the room toward the chairs. As she passed each of the "cliques" in the club, they stopped chatting and stared at her as if she weren't welcome. She had expected this. They think that she is endangering their chances at Regionals.

She bit her lip and sat in the middle, nowhere near any of the others who were sitting in their separate corners. She wished that Jesse was here. He was always kind to her and listened to her antics. At that exact moment, her phone vibrated. She flipped it open and saw that the one she was thinking about had sent her a text message.

_I'll pick you up after school. I'll see you at the front gate._

She smiled happily as she removed her lip from between her teeth. Her feelings made a quick 180 degree turn. From lonely, to excited for another's company. Mr. Schuester walked into the room, holding a bag that he usually carried around for costumes that he had picked out. He passed them out to each of the club-members. "Put those on, and let's head to the auditorium. We're going to run through 'Hello, Goodbye.'"

They all left to the separate changing rooms, slipping into their costumes. Rachel searched through her book bag for the sheet music for "Hello, Goodbye." She looked through the music that she had already memorized. The leads were the usuals: Rachel and Finn. She wished that it was Jesse that would be singing by her side, but there was no helping hit. Although they were dating secretly, he was the competition, and that time in the music store was most likely her only chance to sing with him like that.

"Rachel? Are you finished?" Mr. Schuester's voice called from behind the door.

"Y-yeah, I'm ready," she answered as she put the sheet music back into her bag and went out the door on stage. She normally felt much better on the stage, in the spotlight. She usually felt like she was the only important person in the world, and that there was a crowd of people watching her, loving her. Her performance wasn't nearly as good as it normally was and Mr. Schuester had tried to tell her to loosen up as they danced.

She nodded, but her moves hadn't gotten any better than they were. She knew this wasn't like her. She should be smiling and _performing_. But, singing back to Finn didn't feel like it did before. She used to feel so happy, being by his side. Yet, seeing him only brought her pain, reminding her that things could never be the same between them. She moved to her ending position and she still wasn't smiling. She looked back at Finn, who was staring back at her worriedly. She couldn't stand seeing him staring at her with that kind of expression. She ran out of the auditorium with her bag in hand, stuffing her street clothes into it. She rushed out the school's gate, still in costume.

She saw Jesse there, waiting for her. He grinned at her as she rushed over to him. He was leaning against his motorcycle, but he frowned when he noticed that she had an expression full of distress. He stopped leaning and stood up and she flung herself at him. He was surprised at first, but he rested his hand on her head in a comforting gesture. She was clinging onto his shirt tightly. "Hey, I didn't know you missed me this much." He joked around, fully knowing there was something else wrong. He gave up on trying to change the atmosphere. He stroked her head and rubbed circles into her back with his thumb. "What's the matter? Did something happen?"

She mumbled something into his shirt which he had somehow managed to hear clearly. He acted as though he didn't hear anyway, "What?"

"Finn," she said firmly as she moved her face away from his chest. "I can't practice with him anymore… Not when he's—" She buried her face back into his shirt and squeezed him tighter.

It occurred to him that it always seemed to be Finn Hudson's fault that she was ever in pain. He consoled her and tried to stop her silent sobbing. "C'mon, Rachel, you can't hide from him forever…"

"Can't I hide behind you?" She asked, her eyes threatening to spill tears. Jesse tensed up. Sometimes, he hated dramatic girls. She saw that look of fear in his expression. It was the same one that Finn always showed whenever he was with her. "I can't, can I."

It was more of a statement than a question. "You know that we have to keep it a secret in order to protect your club—"

"I can't protect my club if I don't practice though!" She sniffled. An idea hit her. "Would you take me somewhere?"

The fearful expression that he and Finn had shared softened. He hugged her tightly, no longer wanting to see her looking at him with that pained expression. He stroked her hair and then pulled her away from him, tucking some loose strands back behind her ear. "Anywhere," he told her as he placed a helmet on her head. He buckled it under her chin, then put his own helmet on. She sniffled as he wiped away a tear that had escaped from her left eye. He smiled at her, trying to give her some assurance. He placed a hand on the top of her helmet, brought her head closer and kissed her on her forehead. It was so hard to deceive her when she acted like this. She was too… _cute_.

He mounted his bike and put his own helmet on as he gestured for her to hop on. She did, and held onto him tightly, molding her body against his. He grinned as he pulled the cover down on his helmet. He started the engine. Then, to both of their surprise, they heard a yell.

"RACHEL!" Finn Hudson had rushed out the gate with all of his basketball gear and backpack. He yelled after her again, "Rachel, wait!"

Jesse glanced behind to look at Rachel and judging by her expression, he didn't need anything else. The warmth her eyes held had melted away and they held fear of getting caught. The engine roared to life as he slowly released the clutch of his bike. Finn continued to shout Rachel's name. Rachel closed her eyes, "Go, Jesse!"

He needn't hear anything else as he drove off away from the gate, headed toward the street.

Finn ran after them, but there was no way that he could keep up with a motorcycle going over 60 miles per hour. He yelled out in anger and threw his bag onto the ground in rage. He kicked the wall nearby and punched the air. He stopped his raging. "Wait… did she just say, 'Jesse'?"

* * *

I guess this means I'm continuing this, haha. The chapter's kind of short, but I hope it isn't too bad.


	3. Chapter 3

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 3

Finn Hudson was not a happy teenager. In fact, happy was the last thing that he would think of to describe how he felt at that very moment. He had just watched his ex- girlfriend who he still has strong feelings for jump on the back of a stranger's motor cycle and drive off. How the hell is he supposed to feel, though? Is he supposed to be worried for her safety, angry at the guy for taking her away, or angry at himself that he couldn't stop her? Or maybe he should feel jealous that he wasn't in that stranger's place.

He sat down nearby the gate, thinking to himself. _There had to be some kind of clue as to where they went…_ Finn stared off in the direction they went as if there would be some neon sign giving him the answers. Maybe he was thinking about this wrong. She clearly didn't want to speak to him. Actually, she hasn't wanted to speak to him since… well… that time. His stomach growled in urgency. He cursed. There was no way in hell that he could think on an empty stomach. He's a man, and that's how men are.

He shuffled through his backpack, hoping to find _something_ to eat. He found a few snack bars and some candy. He tore open the wrapper of the bars then proceeded to chew on them, thinking all the while. He racked his brain for any special meaning to what she said.

_"Go, Jesse!"_ _That's what she shouted at the guy, right? But, who's Jesse…?_

Clearly, Finn was not the type to remember names, not even his love rival. He tried pushing his fists into the temples of his forehead in hopes that some form of memory would resurface, but that just gave him a headache. He scratched his head, but that only messed up his already perfectly tousled hair. He settled on thinking with his thumb in his mouth, between his teeth. He chewed on it for a while until he suddenly forgot what he was thinking about. Then he had to rack his brain for 5 minutes until he remembered that he was trying to remember who Jesse was.

Quinn Fabray approached him as he began spacing out. She waved a hand in front of his eyes to get his attention. He was in a whole other world. "Finn?" She called. Clearly, he had stopped all brain function other than his memory. She shook him with urgency, "Finn! It's already been half an hour since Glee rehearsal ended! What are you still doing here?" She still received no response. Finn was starting to piss her off. "Finn!"

"Jesse St. James!" he shouted out at the top of his lungs which surprised Quinn so much that she fell on the ground, her butt getting dirty already. Her nose scrunched up in disgust before she proceeded to reprimand Finn. He stopped her before he could. "Jesse St. James," he said again before rushing over to his car, repeating the name to himself. "Vocal Adrenaline's Jesse St. James, Vocal Adrenaline's Jesse St. James, Vocal Adrenaline's…" he was still muttering to himself. However, in his excitement at remembering which Jesse Rachel was referring to, he also forgot that she was supposed to have broken up with him. "He probably kidnapped her…" he whispered to himself. "I'll save you, Rachel…"

Quinn watched Finn get into his car and drive away, still sitting in her position on the ground. She shook her head. "That Finn is going to get himself hurt one day." She nodded with that thought in mind and she picked up the things she dropped along with herself. "Ah, I don't have time for this. I was looking for Puck…" she scurried away back inside the gates, trying to find the man who ran away after she asked about what Santana was talking about earlier.

Finn was in his car, driving of course, in the direction of Carmel High school to "rescue Rachel from Jesse St. James' _evil_ clutches." He had been driving at speed limit since he was a careful driver and he made sure that he didn't cause trouble for other drivers. Driving had always been a traumatic task for him. He slowed as he approached the high school and turned into it, already spotting the lone motor cycle in the empty parking lot. He slid out of his car and into the parking lot, headed for the auditorium.

"Excuse me?" A voice called behind him.

Finn, the ever polite gentleman, turned around to greet the woman's voice behind him. "Yes, ma'am? Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing… _wrong_, but you don't have a visitor's pass. Our school is very particular about trespassers these days. I suggest you go get one before someone else who has authority catches you," the older woman told him, holding a clipboard and some textbooks. She had an ID hanging by her waist and he noticed that it read "teacher."

He smiled politely and said, "Thank you for warning me. Then, could you direct me to the office?"

"Down the hall, to the right," she told him before smirking to herself, unbeknownst to Finn.

"Thanks!" He headed down where she said and found one door. "This must be it," he opened the door and found only a broom stick, a mop, and some other cleaning supplies. "Uh, are you sure? This looks like a janitor's closet to me…" He was pushed into the closet by an unknown hand and he was inside the closet before he even realized that the door had clicked. He stood up quickly and tried to open the door. "Hello? Is someone out there?"

He pulled at the door vigorously and pounded it with his other hand. "Hello!"

_"Hello, hello! I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello…"_

Finn's eyes widened. That was a part of Rachel's solo, that was for sure. He put his ear to the door to try to listen closer.

_"I say high, you say low. You say why…"_

_"… and I say I don't know"_

Finn pounded on the door with anger now. _That_ part was _his_ part, not anybody else's. A flame was lit inside him. He kicked down the door. He ran to the auditorium as they were beginning to end the song. The door was locked. _Of course _it was locked. Isn't that how all doors seem to be in this school? He once again tried pulling at the door knob, demanding entrance into the room. He angrily threw his arms in the air and tried to kick the door down as he dead with the janitor closet. This resulted in a stubbed toe and Finn hopping up and down while holding the injured foot. The auditorium's door was apparently enforced or something because the janitor closet's door came down with a solid kick.

One thing about it was a small window where he could see into the room. He stood on his toes since the window was actually pretty high. He peeked in and saw Rachel. She was dancing happily to the song that they were rehearsing earlier. Something was different about her over there though. Earlier, she didn't smile at all when she sang, but here, she had the brightest smile he had seen on her in a while. She looked to her left as if at someone else. Finn moved slightly to his left to see the other person she was with. His fist clenched. _That _must be Jesse St. James.

They were twirling to the dance moves, when Rachel tripped on a wire that was not taped down. It was in the middle of the stage, though, which was strange. Normally, they're placed elsewhere to prevent those kinds of things. Jesse St. James reacted quickly and caught her before she hurt herself too bad. He said something that he couldn't hear and he was laughing. She was blushing, and she followed suit in the laughter.

At that moment, Finn almost lost all sanity. Jesse had reached out and pushed some loose strands behind her ear and was leaning in. Rachel was doing nothing to stop him. In fact, she seemed to be welcoming it, slowly closing her eyes as if this was normal. And then, Jesse had brought both hands to her face, resting them on her cheeks. Finn tried once again to bust the door down.

He watched in agony as their faces grew closer and closer. The door _wouldn't_ open. He pounded at it angrily, hoping that the sound would startle them and they'd pull apart. It didn't. "RACHEL!" he shouted. The two hadn't reacted at all. He took a running start and rammed his shoulder against the door with as much force as he could muster.

"RACHEL!" The door finally gave on the second hurl.

Jesse stopped, then pulled away from her, meeting the gaze of Finn. He glared at the interruption, then turned back to Rachel. For some reason, he smirked and leaned in toward her again. Finn's voice rang again, with fury. "RACHEL, STOP!"

Rachel turned. "F-Finn?"

* * *

Sigh. I'm not allowed to watch the new episode tonight without my sister... Gahhh! I want to know if Jesse's really evil! :(

(Hope you don't mind that this one is shorter than the others)


	4. Chapter 4

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 4

At first, when Rachel had told him to drive to Carmel High School, he feared that she was suspicious of his motives. He wondered if she discovered that he was using her now. He drove toward the school anyway, holding onto the small hope that maybe, just _maybe_ she wanted to escape from McKinley High, and the only way to do so would be by transferring. He glanced over his shoulder to stare at her while they stopped at a red light. She was visibly worried about what had just happened at the parking lot. He sighed. _Stupid Finn Hudson._

"I can drive you back… if you want," he offered. She turned back to him and he noticed the flicker of consideration of that offer in her eyes. The flicker disappeared as quickly as it came. No, it didn't disappear, she tried to hide it away from him. His expression hardened at this. "You're upset. I'll turn around," he reached for the handle bars, moving as if to switch lanes. A hand shot out from behind and grabbed his wrist. This surprised him and he turned around and opened up the cover on his helmet. "Rachel…?"

Rachel's face was shaded by her hair as she tilted her head down. Her hand shook, but her fingers were still enclosed around his rather large hands. She stroked them slightly. "I…" she stopped mid-sentence, unsure of how to finish it."Please?" she looked up at him finally. She had been staring at her hand the whole time. Finally when her glistening eyes met his, it was then that he believed that he…

_He was _really_ starting to fall in love with her._

He blushed and the honking horns behind them brought his attention back to the fact that they were still stopping at a red light. He turned back to the handle-bars and he moved forward, replacing the cover on his helmet. He secretly glanced behind his shoulder though. He then noticed her tighten her grip on him slightly. He turned his body slightly to see what happened. She had her eyes closed and she was resting her head against his back, with a small smile. She sighed. "Finn…"

He accidentally released the clutch too much and he shot forward. He quickly regained control though, and stopped at yet another red light. _That's right. She was still in the post-break-up phase with Finn. … Damn him. _He pulled up near the school. He nudged her slightly to wake her from whatever dream she was having of Finn. She didn't wake up, but she shifted slightly, and she must have mistaken him for a pillow, or _whoever_ she was dreaming about, because she hugged herself closer to his back. Now she sighed a different name. "Jesse…"

That brought back his ego. He murmured to himself, "Well, I guess I can let her dream a little bit—"

"No, don't hurt… Finn…" A low whisper from Rachel.

… _Damn you, Finn Hudson._

He hadn't induced her awakening; instead she woke up on her own. She stretched slightly and rubbed sleep out of her eyes. She yawned. "Hmm? When did we get here?" she asked with another yawn and more stretching of her stiff muscles.

"Just now," he lied with a bit of venom. They had actually arrived 20 minutes earlier, but he wanted to wait for her to redeem herself by saying his name _once_ without it involving Finn, unless she was cheering him on to beat the stupid kid to a pulp. He was still bitter about that, and his ego had suffered a blow every time she said Finn's name in her sleep, which was a total of 13 blows to his ego. He slid off of his bike then offered his hand to her, still trying to be a gentleman, though he was peeved.

She accepted the hand graciously, oblivious that his anger was directed at her, or rather, Finn Hudson. She simply smiled happily as she interlaced her fingers with his. That treated a few of the blows to his ego.

Now, she noticed that his pompous attitude, that she had started to like, had deflated. She squeezed his hand, "Is something wrong?"

"Not really," he said simply, his other 10 wounds still open. He avoided her scrutinizing gaze.

She decided against asking for his honesty because the last time she asked for honesty early in a relationship, that name which will not be spoken, had ended it with her, rather painfully. Instead, she followed the advice that Santana had given Brittany, which she had overheard. _If he's down, just show him some love, that'll get him happy. _(Although, the _love_ she was referring to may be completely different from what Rachel had in mind.)

She bit her lip, now the previous staring was switched. She was looking away, indecisive as he stared at her expectantly. She stepped closer and rested her hands on his face. He could do nothing but stare down at her, watching as she stood on her toes, pulling him down to her height. She moved closer, and closer, and they were only a breath's distance away. She stopped at that position. He closed the distance quickly, wrapping his previously stagnant arms around her waist, pulling her closer. _Okay, I'll forgive you for saying that kid's name while you were unconscious. This will only work once though. Next time you have to kiss me on your own. _He tried to convey that message to her.

She slowly moved her arms to his neck and they remained that way for a while as if challenging each other's lungs to last the longest. The two show choir's lead singers weren't planning on losing this battle though. They both pulled apart at the same time, winded. She cleared her throat. "L-Let's go to the auditorium," she suggested.

"Yeah," he entwined his fingers with hers and led her to the stage that was bought especially by the school for Vocal Adrenaline. He cleared his throat, "I forgot to ask," he lied again. He'd been dying to ask why they were coming to his school, "but what are we coming here for?"

She blushed in embarrassment. She had selfishly told him to take her to his school and she hadn't bothered to tell him _why_. "Well, I…" she trailed off. She snapped her eyes shut, "I-was-hoping-you-could-be-my-practice-partner!" She said in the motor-mouth way that she was so good at.

He blinked. He hadn't considered that. He smirked down at her. "Are you sure? I'm your competition. I might leak your song to the others, or maybe I'll tape you singing, or steal your dance moves, or maybe—"

"I trust you," she cut in, looking deeply into his eyes. He wondered if she was staring at him like that because she was suspicious and she was trying to look for a hint of suspicious-looking expressions on his face. He looked away.

_Hey, hey, you're supposed to be deceiving her!_ A Shelby Corcoran appeared on his shoulder, dressed up in the "Highway to Hell" costume.

_But, you love me! Just tell me the truth! I'll understand!_ This time it was Rachel who appeared on his other shoulder, dressed in her "Halo/Walking on Sunshine" costume (even though he had never seen her wearing that. [He didn't go on the New Directions website to look at pictures of her. He didn't… and even if he did, he only did it to learn more about his enemy. Seriously.])

He looked between the two on his shoulders, and then followed the words of Vocal Adrenaline's director. He put on his "I'm-gonna-deceive-you-now-but-I'm-not-enjoying-it" face. "Okay, then. Let's go, babe." He kissed her on the cheek, removing his hand from hers, and draped it across her shoulder now.

She walked alongside him, their steps perfectly in sync. They reached the auditorium quickly with their very brisk steps and long strides. Rachel liked to say that she walked with _authority_ and Jesse simply agreed. They arrived in a short amount of time and he held the door open for her, welcoming her to the Vocal Adrenaline's specially built auditorium. He turned on the spotlight once they reached the stage. She blocked the bright light with her hand at this. He chuckled a little, the light having no effect on him as he passed her some sunscreen. She applied it to her arms, legs, and face, anything that was exposed to the excessive amount of fluorescent light.

Jesse rubbed some of the sunscreen that was not fully absorbed by her pores. "What song are we singing?" he asked her. She reached into her bag and materialized 3 pages of music. He skimmed through it. "'Hello, Goodbye' by the Beatles, huh?" In one quick look over the music, he had it memorized it in his head. He disappeared inside the room and brought back a CD. He placed it inside the CD player and set the volume as loud as the small music player could handle. He grinned at her as he sang the first lines.

Somehow, he hadn't needed to learn the dance at all. He simply had to follow Rachel's lead and they moved in perfect synchronization. She smiled with what he discovered wasn't a "show-face." It was an "I'm-going-to-be-a-star-someday!" smile and she poured her heart out into the song.

They were slowly approaching the end of the song when Rachel tripped over a cable. His eyes widened and he moved quickly to catch her. He held onto her before she hurt herself. He smirked at her. "How are you going to be a star if you trip over things like cables while performing?" He laughed as if welcoming her to laugh with him.

She did and they both laughed together. He found some loose strands that had strayed away from their domain and pushed them back behind her ear. She truly danced with emotion. He held his hand there as he leaned in for _another_ kiss. He felt as though he could hear her heartbeat quicken as she closed her eyes, waiting. His slowly drew to a close as well and _then…_

"RACHEL!"

_Finn Hudson, if you don't go to hell, I'm _pushing_ you._

The loud disturbance had somehow not reached Rachel's ears as her eyes were still closed, her lips puckered just slightly, still expecting him. He glanced over at Finn Hudson then smirked because even the great "Finn Hudson," was unable to snap her out of her daze as he tried to steal one last…

"RACHEL, STOP!"

Jesse rolled his eyes then moved away from Rachel, nudging her to finally wake her up from the daze she was in. She opened her eyes and looked at Jesse, confused. He pointed with his head toward Finn and all time seemed to stop for her, "F-Finn?"

"Rachel, what are you _doing_ here?" He stalked toward the stage, pushing Jesse away from her and holding onto her shoulders. "Especially with… _him_? He's our competition, Rachel! Did you forget that!? You're not supposed to practice one of the songs of our set list with the competition! Don't you know how pissed, Mr. Schue would be if he knew?"

"I'm sorry, this campus is off-limits to trespassers and seeing as you don't have a visitor's pass, I could call securi—"

"Stay out of this, pretty boy," he whirled on Jesse and pushed him away before he turned his full attention back to Rachel. Jesse looked away, jutting out his jaw in an incredulous way. _He pushed me! Finn Hudson just pushed me, Jesse St. James, his superior! And…!_ _Pretty boy, he says? I'll show _him_ pretty boy!_ He tapped Finn on the shoulder and when he turned, Finn was met with Jesse's fist. Finn's face turned at the force of the punch before he registered what just happened and punched Jesse as well. Jesse was knocked down to the floor. He spit, and then punched Finn again.

Rachel looked on in horror as the two fought it out. Jesse had caused Finn to stagger and he swept him under his feet with his leg. Finn was on his back, in pain. Jesse glared down at him and he knelt down, grabbing a fistful of Finn's shirt, raising his other hand, ready to punch him. Rachel hurled herself between them and his fist stopped an inch before it hit her face. She had her hand on Jesse's arm that was holding onto Finn's shirt. She was crying again. "Jesse, please, don't hurt Finn."

He released Finn's shirt and Finn quickly grabbed Rachel's shoulders, pulling her up and leading her to the door. She kept her eyes locked with Jesse's even as the door shut. Jesse's teeth clenched in anger and he raised his fist again, this time punching into the wooden floor, making a hole in the stage. He brought his hand back from the hole and saw his blood flowing from small cuts. He was still on his knees as he brought his elbows to the floor as well, pounding his fist on the ground in anger. He yelled out in anger, and he took deep breaths through his nose.

He looked outside from the window and saw Rachel get into Finn's car, her eyes not directly meeting his and still staring at the auditorium. He looked away and walked out the door, gathering his things. He mounted his motorcycle and drove home, trying to calm down. His phone buzzed in his pocket as soon as his destination was reached and he recognized the ringtone to be Rachel's. He flipped it open to find a text sent by her.

_Jesse, I'm sorry about what happened with Finn. I understand if you don't want to see me anymore._

He sighed. He texted back a response, closed his phone then opened the front door of his home.

_I still want to see you again. But, I doubt that Finn Hudson is going to keep his mouth shut. We'll have to be more furtive. I'll see you on Friday.

* * *

_

Ahhh, me and my inconsistent writing. One moment, the plot's moving too slow, and the next it's moving too fast. There's never really a balance…

Fangirl moment: OMG, JESSE IS KINDA A GOOD GUY, BUT HE'S STILL KINDA SUSPICIOUS, BUT HE'S IN NEW DIRECTIONS AND WITH RACHEL AND SQUEALLLLLLLLLLLLL. Not much singing from him though… sigh.

Jonathan Groff should _stay _as a regular on Glee, even if he is a bad guy.

Please excuse any mistakes? :)


	5. Chapter 5

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 5

Rachel sat in the passenger seat of Finn's car, having just read the text from Jesse she was nervous and at the same time, excited. Finn glanced at her as she faced away from him, staring out the window. He cleared his throat loudly trying to get her attention. This accomplished nothing. He sighed this time. "I won't tell Mr. Schue about Jesse."

This managed to make her face him. It kind of ticked him off that mentioning that guy's name was the way to get her attention. She stared at him with her large brown eyes. "Really? Oh, thank you, Finn, so much! I—"

"But…!" Finn cut her off. He stopped at a red light and looked her straight in the eye. "I hope you realize that you're betraying us by staying with him."

_That_ caused Rachel to shudder at the coldness in his tone. She flinched when he reached out to her with his hand. It hadn't hurt her in any way; instead it caressed her cheek in a comforting gesture. "Just… promise me that you'll be careful," he told her with a sad look in his eye. It broke her heart to see him look at her in that way. He turned back and the light turned green and he pushed the gas pedal.

She clutched her phone as she exited the car once she had arrived at her home. She opened the door and dashed past her fathers even as they tried to ask what was going on at school. She opened the door to her room, closed and locked it then fell to her bed, not bothering to change her clothes. She laid there with her phone by her head and she drifted off into slumber.

* * *

She woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and went about her routine. She brushed her teeth, combed her hair, went on the elliptical for 20 minutes, then got dressed. She looked at her clothing and realized just how different her wardrobe was compared to Quinn's and Mercedes'. It dawned on her that she usually heard their criticism of her clothes whenever she walked around at school. Her promised date with Jesse was today and for once, she was actually worried about what she would wear on a date. She got dressed for school, having one idea in mind. She had to consult the expert to help her.

She waited until he was alone and everyone else left when she approached him. He was at his locker and looking in a mirror. She bit her lip and called his name, "Kurt?"

He sighed, annoyed by her presence, but put a smile on anyway. "Yes, Rachel?" He tried to say as pleasantly as he could to the girl who held the affections of Finn, the boy he pursued.

"I… wanted to ask a favor," Rachel said, trying to look him straight in the eye. Her previous encounters with Kurt never ended well, since they always caused him to despise her even further than he had previously. He didn't say anything, so Rachel continued, "I… was hoping… that… perhaps, if you had the time today, you could help me shop for a fabulous outfit for an outing I'm having tonight?"

He raised an eyebrow at this.

"Not with Finn! With someone else…"

"Who?"

"Who?" She repeated. She paused, trying to think, "Uh… a blind date," she finished. It would have to do, and she prayed that he wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Oh, yeah? Do you know his type?" he asked, looking rather amused at her frantic behavior.

_His type? How was she supposed to know what kind of girls that Jesse liked? She barely knew if he actually liked her or not. _"I, uhh… I would think that…" she bit her lip in trying to think, then sighed, "I honestly don't know," she paused and sighed again. "But I don't think that my apparel is appropriate to go out with him. Please, Kurt. I really don't want to screw this up," she pleaded with him.

He pursed his lips. "All right. _But_, next solo, I want you to voluntarily ask Mr. Shuester to give it to me. And make sure he _does_."

"What?! That's ridiculous--!"

"Oh, but I thought you cared about this. Was I wrong?"

Rachel clenched her teeth. _It's for Jesse to like you. It's for Jesse to like you._ She said through clenched teeth. "All right, I will."

"Swear."

"I swear," Rachel promised.

"Good. I'll see you after school then," Kurt smiled, then shut his locker. _Oh, this was too easy. She'd be out of his way when it came to Finn, _and _maybe this guy she's going out with might actually like her and Rachel would completely reject Finn, and then I'd be right there to help him through it. _He smirked. _I better make sure she looks fabulous. My love life depends on it. _He looked at Finn who was at his locker then proceeded to class, thinking of different styles to try with Rachel.

Rachel licked her lips and together, she went back home with Kurt. It was serious Déjà vu from the last time he had come here to help her with impressing Finn. "All right, considering that you don't have very much money, I might as well search through what you have and see if any of it could be of use."

Rachel sat on the bed as he through all her clothes into one pile. "Wow. Simply amazing. You don't have _anything_ that would be worn in this _century_."

"What? But, what about this…"

"Really, Rachel? You think this would be suitable for a date?" He held up the half-polka-dotted-half-striped shirt she was referring to. "No." He threw it to the side. He sighed. "All right, we're going to the mall, stat."

He lead her out of the room, outside. "Okay, do you know _anything_ about this guy?"

"Well, he's good at... performing arts…"

"All right, what else?"

"Uh…" It was then that she realized that she really knew _nothing_ about things that Jesse liked. "I honestly don't know. It's a blind date… you know?"

He looked at her, then sighed. "Fine. I'll have to make it work, _somehow_." He pulled up at the mall and walked with her to the entrance. "When is this date of yours anyway?"

"6:30… is that too early? I can reschedule…"

"No, don't bother. 2 and half hours is plenty of time for me," he dragged her off to the many clothing stores, stuffing her in one of the changing rooms for a designer store. "Stay there and put on whatever I throw in here."

She nodded and was shoved inside. Before she knew it, a whole outfit was thrown over the door and she hastily pulled it on, then walked out. He was there, standing outside the door, looking her up and down. He paced around her and stopped in front. He reached behind her neck and put her hair into an up-do. "No. Take it off."

She moved back inside the changing room and another outfit was tossed over the door before she knew it. She smoothed the shiny shirt over and slipped into the black skirt. She pulled the jacket over her shoulders and stepped out. Her hair was still up and she walked out slowly.

Kurt tilted his head to the side and slid to her a box of shoes. "Put those on." They were beautiful gold heels and she slipped them on her small feet. "Ugh, no. You look like a hooker. Go back inside," he waved her away.

She deflated. Honestly, she thought she looked pretty nice. A dress was placed over the door carefully and she was surprised. She shrugged and put it on. She stepped outside, expecting Kurt's critical expression. He was actually walking back to her with a different outfit. He glared at her. "I told you to only put on what I toss at you."

Rachel looked confused. "But, I did. This dress was tossed at me while I was inside."

"Hm… Well, whoever did it, clearly had wonderful sense in style." He circled around her. "It fits you like a glove." Indeed it did, with the off-white main color with black trimming and a red flower to accent it. It was truly a beautiful dress and it fit Rachel perfectly. She searched around her for the price tag, and fainted. Kurt moved to steady her. "Whoa, what happened to you?"

"S-s-six…"

"Six?" Kurt repeated, with a confused expression etched on his face. He looked at the tag she was holding in her hands. "Hm, pretty cheap."

That brought her back. "How can 600 dollars be cheap!?"

Now, he was grinning down at her. "Please, those other outfits I was throwing at you were about 1200 dollars."

Rachel felt light-headed, and Kurt had to steady her again. He rolled his eyes. "Calm down, I'll pay for it."

"_What_?" She asked, incredulous. "Why would you… and this dress… for me… huh!?"

"I had planned to do so from the beginning," he flipped hair out of his eyes. "Please, it's a small price to pay for what I'm going to receive from you. Having the spotlight shine on me, is priceless."

He took her to the register, and simply had her sit on the counter when they scanned the price tag. "Okay, your total will be 660 dollars," the register lady said pleasantly. Kurt steadied Rachel by holding onto her as he passed the woman his credit card that gleamed in the light. "Thank you for your patronage, and have a nice day," she bowed to them as they left.

He led her to a shoe store, and once again, they were not picked out by Kurt, but were approved. The shoes were actually flung at her feet and she asked if they would be acceptable. He simply nodded and pulled out his shiny and beautiful credit card. He had stuffed all of her old clothing into a bag and they passed an accessory store. He pulled her inside before she could wander away and he picked out earrings and went to look for more make-up when a headband was shot at the back of her head. She winced in pain, and then turned around to find it at her feet. She picked it up and showed Kurt, and he again said that his wonderful fashion sense must have been rubbing off on her. She nodded in response, "Yeah, it just… _hit _me."

At 5:30, they were finished with their shopping spree and Kurt had began styling her hair and putting her makeup on. "God, you should really just have me dress you every day." He twirled her around to show her what she had become in the mirror. She stood up, gazing at her reflection. The dress had always fit her perfectly, but the use of jewelry and accessories and the perfect shoes and headband had come together as if it were a barbershop quartet in which the different aspects were the different parts. She threaded her fingers through her hair and he slapped her hand away. "Ow, what?"

"You're going to get it oily," he told her. She bit her lip and he hit her again. "Don't bite your lip either, you'll ruin the lipstick." She frowned then moved her fingers to rub her eyes. "Are you trying to ruin your makeup?"

"But—"

"Don't… touch yourself. My god, you're a failure as a woman."

Her mouth dropped open in incredulity, and she tried to say something, then stopped. She sighed. "Thank you, Kurt. For this."

He rolled his eyes, "Please, if it weren't for the solo I was going to receive, I would _never_ do this for you."

"But you did, and I thank you. Enjoy the spotlight," she told him as she opened the door, offering to walk him outside. He put a hand behind him before she tried to follow and he let himself out and into his car. He smirked to himself. _If she doesn't knock him dead with that, he has to be gay._

Rachel sat there in her room, staring at the clock. She kept her phone in her hand, staring at the screen for the exact time. It was 6:15 and Kurt said that boys are _supposed_ to come at least 15 minutes early. She looked outside her window, and not a single car drove past. She sighed. Jesse wasn't like other guys. Maybe he was stuck in traffic. It was a long drive. 6:20. She looked outside again and found nothing. She lay down. Maybe he isn't coming. She felt her heart wrench, and an image of Kurt came to mind. _If you so much as cry and smudge your mascara, I'll hunt you _down.

6:25… Where was he!? At 6:26, she heard the doorbell. She jumped out of bed and raced to the stairs, taking them two at a time. She dashed past her father before he could make it to the door. She stopped at the mirror, and made sure she was presentable. She opened the door and tried to put on an indifferent expression. "Jesse."

"Uh… no." It was instead a red-clad Noah Puckerman at her door. Her eyes widened into the size of saucers. He was carrying a red box that said, "caution: hot." He had a cap on as well which clearly read the company logo of Pizza Hut. "You ordered pizza?" He removed two boxes from the bag and passed them to her.

"I'll take that," her father said as he took them out of her hands. He passed Puck a 20 dollar bill, and then disappeared into the kitchen. Puck stuffed the 20 into his pocket and stared at her.

"So. Who's Jesse?"

"Jesse is… a friend of mine. A girl!" She added in quickly. And Puck simply raised an eyebrow. "What's that look for, Noah?" she asked with an innocent smile etched on her face. It was silent for a while and her eyes flitted side to side. _Please don't come right now, Jesse!_

"You got dressed up, to go out with some _girl_ named Jesse?" he still had his eyebrow raised and he gave her a once-over, his eyes lingering on her chest.

She noticed this and crossed her arms, which did nothing. "What about you? Why are you delivering pizzas?"

"I gotta make money somehow for my baby."

Silence ensued. "Well, then, if that's all—" she tried to close the door.

He caught it quickly. "I don't believe anything you're saying."

"What are you talking about?"

"Jesse isn't a female. You wouldn't look _this hot _for some chick. You're going on a date."

"So what if I am?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest again, trying to challenge his piercing stare.

"Now, if I recall, you told the whole Glee Club, that you broke up with the lead of Vocal Adrenaline, and what was his name again?" he pretended to ponder over the subject, then snapped his fingers. Rachel shifted uncomfortably. "Jesse St. James. Could you be going out with that person?" She looked away from his eyes. "Oh, wait. That can't be possible, considering you _swore_ that you broke up with him."

"Noah, stop."

"And, even if you hadn't, you wouldn't do so, considering that it would jeopardize our club's chances at Regionals."

"I'm serious."

"No, you wouldn't betray us like that, now would you?"

"Stop it!" She pressed her hands to her ears, trying to drown out Noah's words which were all piercingly true.

"Honestly, Berry. I really don't like you, and I don't really like Glee Club either, but if you're really doing what I think you're doing, which judging by your reactions, I think you are, I suggest… that you put an end to it. Because not only will you be resented by the student body excluding Glee Club, you'll be despised by them too. Now, you wouldn't want to have to face the whole of McKinley, now would you? And you thought _slushies_ were bad," he turned around and looked behind his shoulder. He looked a little sympathetic at her expression, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "End it, Berry. Seriously."

As soon as he disappeared, driving off in the company car, she dropped to her knees and had her hands steadying her from falling on her face. She wouldn't allow the tears to fall. No. She was above that.

* * *

Yay, new episode tonight! Gotta watch the Laker game first though haha. (Please no hating on me for liking the Lakers. I'm not a bandwagoner like a lot of fans.)


	6. Chapter 6

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 6

Jesse arrived at Rachel's house a short time after Puck's departure, twirling his keys around his finger. He smirked when he thought that Rachel had been waiting for him outside her door, but upon closer inspection, he realized that she was on her knees with her hands in front of her. He ran up and grabbed her shoulders. "Hey, what's the matter?" He momentarily appreciated how hot she looked in her apparel, but he pushed that thought back as he tried to give her emotional support. He hugged her, but he heard no sobs nor did he feel any hot tears on his shirt.

She pulled out and stared up into his eyes. She put on a fake smile. "I was just worried that you weren't going to come, and that maybe you didn't want to be with me anymore," she said, all the while, Puck's words echoed inside her head.

Jesse only smiled and pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry. I just got caught at a few red lights." He hugged her and kissed her cheek before he pulled her up. He led her to his motorcycle and placed the helmet on her head. She began to think of how angry Kurt would be if he saw her putting the helmet on. "_OH, no you did NOT just put a helmet on the hair I just curled perfectly." That's definitely something he'd say._

He drove to a rather expensive restaurant that wasn't near her nor his neighborhood. "No one will bother us here," he kissed the top of her head after she removed her helmet. He offered his elbow and she accepted it graciously. They were seated at a table after he stated his reservation for St. James.

She opened up the menu, unsure of what to get. She turned to Jesse, who had his menu down already. She peeked at him, then put hers down as well. "You already know what you're getting?"

"I already ordered in advance so that we wouldn't have to wait," he said cockily, tilting his head to the side with that smirk still planted firmly on his face.

She shifted in her seat, "Then, why didn't you tell me?" She connected this to her previous conversation with Puck. Maybe he was hiding more things than she thought.

He shrugged. "You looked so confused when you were looking at the words that were all in Italian." She forced a laugh and he reached across the table to take her hand. "Are you sure there's nothing bothering you?" He asked, trying to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Her eyes lingered on their hands and she bit the inside of her lip. "Y-yeah, there's nothing wrong," she hastily tried to change the focus and reached for a slice of bread, spreading butter on it. She took a bite and melted into the taste, "Wow, this is delicious."

His expression remained unchanging. "Rachel, be honest with me," _Oh, sure ask her for honesty when you're the one scheming to break her down from the inside._

"I'm telling you, there's nothing wrong!" She put on a fake smile and food arrived at their table. She gripped her fork as she stabbed at her salad, pushing it into her mouth. He continued to stare at her the same way. She sighed. "Please. I want to have fun tonight."

His gaze was long and meaningful, but he nodded in agreement as he picked up his own fork. They dined with small conversation. They never spoke of their schools, only of musicals they had recently seen, movies, anything that didn't remind them what they would face on Monday. They laughed as they ate and they made hardly any noise and Rachel barely noticed that he had paid for the check. "Should we leave now?" he asked her with a smile, though his eyes still searched her own for misery.

She simply nodded in response as they both boarded his bike. She rested her head against his back, listening to his steady heart beat. It was like a metronome; her highly trained ears told her that his heart was at approximately 70 beats per minute. They were nearing her house when her grip around his waist tightened. She didn't want the night to end yet. She didn't want to _end it_ with him yet. "I'm sorry, I feel kind of selfish. Can we stay out… for a while longer?" she asked the question tentatively, still resting her head against his back. She heard the engine roar back to life as they sped off in another direction.

"Where do you want to go?" She could hear his voice loud and clear even over the roar of the engine.

"Carmell High school… Can we go there, again?"

She felt his back stiffen, which escalated her doubts and suspicions in him. "Why do you want to go there?"

She nuzzled her nose into his back and then returned to her previous position, resting her cheek against him. "I… want to sing with you, again. I feel I connect with you the most when we sing together," she explained to him.

She felt his back relax. "Okay," he switched lanes, headed in the direction to his school again. He arrived there in fifteen minutes, and Rachel didn't shift in her position in the least. He almost thought she was sleeping, but when they arrived, he felt her lift her head away and he realized how warm he was in that spot. The absence brought a shiver.

They held hands as they walked to the auditorium as they did before, but it felt different, like there was something missing. He looked down from the corner of his eye, and he noticed that she was avoiding looking at him. He stopped at the auditorium, waiting for her to make the next move. She pushed the door open quickly and pulled him inside with her. She stepped onto the stage and looked at the seats.

Jesse disappeared into a room and called out to her from inside, "So, which song do you want to sing?" He received no response. "Rachel?" Still nothing. He stuck his head out from the door and found her still looking in awe at the seats designated for the audience. He walked out to her and hugged her from behind, holding her shoulders. "Rachel."

She spoke. "Everything… is bigger, and brighter, and… _better_," she paused and took a deep breath, then continued. "Perfect for a star to develop its shining rays, huh?"She asked as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"You could develop your rays here too," he whispered near her ear. He turned her around, having her face him. He felt bravery coursing through him as he chose his words. "Leave McKinley High. And forget the Glee Club, they'd never be able to do anything for you anyway," he said to her, searching her eyes for any acceptance, or consideration of this offer. Unlike the time he offered to drive her back home, he found none. He really wished she had just gotten better at hiding it.

After a few moments, she spoke. "But… my friends—?"

He answered quickly. "Are they _really_ your friends, Rachel? Plus, you could still see them, but you would be by my side."

"They'd resent me for it."

"If they're really your friends, they'll get over it."

"I might get hurt by the ones who aren't."

"Then, I'll protect you," He said this as he pulled her into his arms and nuzzled his head into her shoulder.

"What about Regional's?" she asked him without returning the embrace.

"We'll take down anyone there together."

Her eyes seemed to tremble as they moved side to side and her lip quivered along with them. She pulled away from him. She looked down at her shoes when his piercing gaze was too much for her. She gulped. "M-maybe I will. I could be with you, I'd still be able to do what I love, I'd win Nationals, and I'd be a star…" her voice trailed off as her eyes looked off into the distance.

"Right! And I'd be right there with you!"

She moved out of his arms, "And I'd sing, and I'd sing until I couldn't sing any longer! And, I'd reach new heights, developing my voice to what I would never imagine it could be! And I'd go off to UCLA to be with you, and before I would know it, I'd be found by an agency and move on to Broadway…" Her eyes held a dreamy-like shine in them.

"And, I'd watch all your performances after I graduated Carmel, and I'd help you through your career, and after that…" Jesse looked off into the distance as well; Rachel's back was to him. "It would be… great, wouldn't it?" He heard sniffles coming from her direction. He turned around slowly, dreading to see the sight that matched with the sounds. "Rachel…"

"I can't. I just… can't." her tears flowed down her cheeks and she buried her face in her hands as she fell to her knees. She sobbed and sniffed as Jesse approached her, slowly. He saw her tear-streaked face and he felt his heart tear in two. He looked sympathetically down at her and knelt down to her level.

"I…" he started off, "If it makes you feel any better, you can… forget what I said. I know that you can't leave your friends back there," he rested his hand on the top of her head. "So… just… stop crying." He moved her hands from her face and tilted her chin so that he met her eyes.

She sniffed as she stared into his eyes. Somehow, all her suspicions of his motives were washed away as she saw the sincerity that was being displayed. He moved his arm onto her shoulder and she felt it slide from one shoulder to her back to the other shoulder, his other hand still tilting her head to face him. She felt the distance closing, and he kissed her. Something was different about this one, though. Her eyes widened in surprise at first, but she slowly closed them, melting in his arms. She moved her hands from the floor to the front of his shirt and he thought she was going to push him away, but she pulled him, both of them falling to the floor. She felt the hand that was on her chin, move south. A little too far down south for her comfort. She then pushed him away and he quickly lifted himself off of her. She trembled while he had a hand on her arm. They faced each other, on their sides.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her, his hand drawing circles on her arm. His head was propped on his elbow.

She still stared into his eyes, and then she almost found herself drowning in them. "T-too… fast," she managed to stutter out.

He blinked in confusion at first, then remembered where his hand was earlier, just before they stopped. "O-oh. Sorry… I thought that… Nevermind."

"What? You thought what?" she asked quizzically.

"I thought… I don't know. You haven't done that kind of thing before?" he asked, his eyebrow rose.

"No!" she shouted, now she stood up, her face red in either embarrassment or anger. Maybe both.

He sat up, "Now, Rachel, don't turn this into something—"

"No, I will turn it into something… Have—have you?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting themselves together.

"Have I _what_?" He asked.

"Y-you know…" she said, her cheeks reddening further. She looked off to the side, then met his gaze again, expecting an answer.

He still stared. He looked away too, and then back, "Okay, a few times—"

"A few!?" she gasped, and she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Well, yeah, like 6 or 7—"

This was not helping his case at _all_. "So… if you've done it so many times… it probably wouldn't mean very much to you to do it with me."

"Well, not really…" he said without thinking. He looked up at her and found that tears were threatening to spill from her eyes. His eyes widened and he quickly tried to rectify the situation he was in. "I mean, no! No! That's not what I meant either! I meant—"

She dashed out the door already, tears following behind her. He grabbed her, not that she would be able to really _go_ anywhere. It was already late, and he drove them here on his motorcycle. "Rachel, wait," he had his hands grasping her shoulders even as she struggled to escape.

Her voice trembled along with her whole body before she finally spoke. "I can't do this. I can't! Not with you!" She felt all of Puck's words that she had forgotten suddenly inundate into her mind. She remembered how piercingly true everything he said was and how skeptical she felt about Jesse and his intentions afterward.

"Rach, what are you—" he tried to wrap his arms around her again.

"No! Stop it!" She pounded her fists on him feebly. "Go away! Go away! Go away…" She sniffed finally, the tears pouring out of her eyes. Her voice broke in the middle of saying her fourth "go away." She trembled still and her fist pounding ceased. "I can't be with you, not when it endangers my teammates."

His expression hardened. He lied, "I told you, I don't have an ulterior—"

"And I told you to stop!" She screamed.

He stared down at her. "Rachel…"

"I can't…" she trailed off, then picked up a few seconds later."I can't trust you like this," she sniffled before she regained control of her voice, "because a small part of me still doesn't believe that you have good intentions with me," she gulped as if to stop hiccups, "especially since you said that it wouldn't matter with me!" she was now crying her eyes out, her mascara was starting to run. He wiped at those tears and she angrily tore away from him. "Stop it!"

He was taken aback by this.

"Stop… doing this. Your comfort… just makes it _so much harder_ for me to break away," she took fistfuls of his shirt into her hands. "Please… just don't come near me anymore. I _really_ want to believe that what we have, is real, but I can't… keep _deceiving _my team the way that I am…"she sniffled before continuing her emotional episode. "So, just… let me have a clean break," she laughed although she was still crying. "Besides, it's not like we were _really_ in love like Romeo and Juliet."

He stared down at her and in his mind, he thought, _But I am._

"Besides, their story had a tragic end."

_How is loving each other until death a tragic end? _He sighed. _It's over. The jig is up. There was no way for him to fight for his Juliet if his Juliet wanted to give up on their romance. _He passed her the helmet. "At least let me drive you home."

"No, I'll just—"

"No. Let me drive you home," he said with urgency. She decided not to argue and she took the helmet.

Rachel hesitated at first. "Okay."

* * *

Yay, Rachel and her mood swings are amazing. :D

Whee, finals are fun. [/sarcasm]


	7. Chapter 7

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 7

The next day, Vocal Adrenaline practice was a disaster. He couldn't focus on the number at all or on the fast-paced choreography that he had helped to put together. Shelby had actually stopped the number altogether. "Oh, my god! You guys are terrible!" The other members were used to this lecture. "I mean, I've already known about your mediocrity, but this is just ridiculous!" The bell rang to signal their dismissal. She waved them off. "Get out of my sight."

Some members rolled their eyes before they stalked off the stage, toward the dressing room. Shelby cleared her throat to get Jesse's attention. "Jesse!" she called. He sighed. _So much for escape_. She gestured him to follow her with her finger, and he did, like a puppy follows its master.

"So, what's the latest update on our little Rachel?" Shelby asked as Jesse stepped into her office. She had called him over after Vocal Adrenaline practice as usual and was expecting some kind of new information on a way to bring down Will—iam McKinley's Glee club.

Jesse walked in and sat in the chair apathetically, as if his very soul were sucked out of his body. Shelby raised an eyebrow at this behavior. "What's the matter, Superstar? You don't look so good, even during practice too," she paused, waiting for him to answer. He didn't. "What? Did you get dumped?"

This brought him out of his apathy as he turned his glare toward her, as if trying to pierce a hole through her skull. This time, a smirk accompanied the raised eyebrow. "Oh, did I hit a sensitive spot?" She crossed her legs as she folded her hands over her desk and leaned forward. "Well, why don't you go after her if she dumped you?" she tilted her head in a mocking way or maybe it was more persuasive. He couldn't tell.

He closed his eyes and breathed through his nose. Inhale. Exhale. Now his eyes opened again and if his adversary wasn't Shelby Corcoran, that glare would probably send shivers through their spine. "I _can't_ go after her. She picked her _team_ over _me._" He said "team," bitterly. _In other words, she chose _Finn Hudson_ over me._

Shelby tossed her head back as she laughed wholeheartedly. Jesse glared at this. She wiped an invisible tear from her eye and then redirected her attention to her _favorite_ student. "Well, if breaking her down from the outside didn't work, then why don't you infiltrate the inside?" she proposed, resting her head on her folded hands.

"What are you talking about?" Jesse asked her incredulously.

"Oh, don't play dumb, Mr. Soon-to-be-Celebrity," she stood up from her seat and his eyes followed her every step as she circled around her desk. "I'm saying," she paused then abruptly pointed her index finger at him, "that you should enter her world."

"_Why_?"

Shelby was startled by this answer. She had expected him to agree immediately. Yeah, she knew that he didn't enjoy doing this "mission." But, she also noticed his interest in the Rachel Berry. She thought he would be jumping with joy to be able to spend more time with his Juliet. "Why? What do you mean, 'Wh—'"

"Why do _I_ have to go after her? She doesn't _want to be with me anymore_. She doesn't want _anything_ to do with me! We don't even _need_ to sabotage them. We'll take them down no matter what they throw at us!"

Shelby regained her composure, and closed her eyes. "And _that _is why we must break them down."

Jesse had a confused look etched on his face.

"You're _falling_ for her," she stated.

"What!? Me!? Falling for that amateur…!?"

"Oh, come off your throne already, Jesse."

Jesse's tongue was tied for the first time. He was speechless. He couldn't even formulate a sentence in his mind.

She sent one of her own bone-chilling glares his way now. "I _know_ you are. Don't even try denying it. I know it. I can tell by your face," she started pacing around the room and had a reminiscent expression, "You feel like you've finally found your match, the one who is worthy of your caliber, someone you could call an _equal_."

Jesse gulped, and averted his eyes. She wouldn't allow it though. She placed both hands on either side of his face and turned him back to her. He still tried not to meet with her piercing gaze. _She still has that reminiscent face, _he noted to himself.

"It feels like you've found the one that you'll be with forever and together you'll conquer the world," she said with the same expression. Then it was replaced by an angry look, the kind that people get after having their dreams crushed. "But they're _not. _For people as talented as you, there _isn't _an equal. They grow _sick_ of your superior attitude and they _leave_ before you can say anything." She inhaled and exhaled as well. And her angry expression was changed into a dismal one. "Face it. It's lonely when you're the best."

He looked up at his vocal coach and was searching her face for any dishonesty. There wasn't. She was speaking from experience. He closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them again and saw her still staring off. "Fine. I'll do it."

The self-confident gleam in her eyes hadn't returned. She smiled anyway. "Well, as long as you understand." She passed him some forms after shuffling through some papers in her desk. "Fill that out. They're entrance forms for McKinley High," she tossed some keys at him. He caught them in one hand before he took a step outside the door. "I have an apartment near there. Number 303. The big key's for the room and the small one's for mail," she returned to her work at her desk. "I still expect you to report back here, but not too often. Once a week is fine."

Jesse stayed at the door, leaning against the frame. She looked up at him. "Well, what're you waiting for? Go, already."

He remained there still, expectantly.

She waved him off, "I'll inform your parents, all right? Just fill out those forms and I'll take care of the rest," he then started to exit. "Oh, although I don't think I need to tell you, but," she removed the reading glasses she had just put on. "You can't return to practice once you've entered their territory."

He looked back and replied nonchalantly, "Of course not."

"Hmph. Hurry up, Superstar."

* * *

Jesse tried not to show his happiness. Yeah, he had seen Rachel three days ago, but to him it felt like he was deprived for three _centuries_. He hated not being able to see her radiant glow nor hear her fantastic, though flawed, voice. He twirled the keys that were now attached to his key-ring. He tossed them in the air and caught them. He filled out the forms quickly while sitting on his bike. After completion, he placed the papers back into the folder and started the engine of his bike.

Hopefully, Will Schuester was still at school at 5:30.

He arrived at break-neck speed. He took long strides as he approached one of the offices. On the glass, it read in standard writing, "Will Schuester. Spanish and Glee Club." The light was still on inside. He knocked on the door. "Rachel, just come in!" a voice called from inside. Jesse blinked. _Did Rachel visit her teacher often?_ He shrugged. _Maybe they're knocks were similar or something?_

"It's not Rachel," he said as he entered the room. Will looked up from the papers in front of him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just—" he stopped his sentence. "Can I help you with anything?" Papers were dropped in front of him. He stared down at them and leafed through the pages. He lingered on one form. A club request form with _Glee Club _scrawled on the blank.

Jesse smiled. "I hope it would be all right if I requested your signature," he held out his hand to Will. "I'm Jesse St. James. I recently moved near this neighborhood, too far away from Carmell. I hope you wouldn't mind if I joined your club."

The words clicked in Will's head. "You're… the male lead in Vocal Adrenaline," he stated. Jesse nodded with an innocent look plastered on his face. "Our competition in Regionals." He nodded again. "And you want to join _us_, a competitor against your school?" Will looked just a bit incredulous.

He shrugged, "If you would allow it." Putting up a façade was difficult. He really didn't want to do this. It would bring pain to his Juliet after all. _Say, "No," like any other sane person. _Then he could just pretend to have infiltrated and live nearby Rachel, secretly watching her from afar. _… Not that I'm a stalker. I don't have that kind of hobby._

Will smiled benevolently at Jesse. He stood up from his seat. "Well, if you try out in front of the others, and win over their approval, then it's fine with me," he held out his hand to Jesse. "Welcome to William McKinley, Jesse St. James."

Jesse fake-smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Schuester. I'll see you tomorrow then," he tilted his head to the side as if feigning innocence.

"Just come to the club after school with a number to perform," Will led Jesse to the door and he allowed him to leave. He sighed before sinking into his seat. "I better get these to Figgins…" he said to himself. He ran his fingers through his curly hair. _What am I getting us into?_

_

* * *

_

"Mr. Schue, he's a spy. It's so obvious," Santana said when she saw Jesse standing next to Mr. Schuester. _Man, that boy is _fine_._

"Seriously, Mr. Schue, he's _clearly_ here to destroy us." Finn glared, wrapping his arm around Rachel's shoulder. _God, this guy again?_

"_Another _male? _And_, he's a _star_? Mr. Schue, are you _trying_ to keep me from a solo?" Kurt was clearly miffed about Jesse's arrival.

The rest of the room was silent. The glares seemed to do the talking for them. Rachel, however looked traumatized. "What… are you doing here?" she asked.

Santana jumped at the opportunity. "Oh, and he's the virgin-girl's 'boyfriend who she dumped'? The suspicions keep on building."

"_Guys_," Mr. Schuester was growing fed up with their childish behavior, "All of you made it into Glee Club, by _trying out_. Anyone who wants to join and tries out can join Glee Club, that's what we decided," he paused and glowered at the room. He sighed when he saw a majority of them roll their eyes. "Well, Jesse, if you would…"

Jesse removed his backpack and tossed it at Mike Chang. Mike looked to his friend Matt as if incredulous that he would actually do that. He smirked and requested the pianist to allow him to play his own song. He rose from the seat and Jesse sat down. He played various chords before he began to sing the first few lines of the song. All the while, his eyes weren't even looking at his fingers. His eyes remained locked on Rachel's direction.

The great music had lit a match of inspiration of each of the members and soon all the members excluding Finn had seemed to forget exactly_ who_ was creating the music. They all took up in song and Mike danced along to the tune. They all lost themselves in the song, but Rachel remained fixated in her seat, unable to tear her eyes away from Jesse. Finn was glaring at his rival. The song ended and they all clapped happily.

Will rose Jesse to his feet. "I think it's unanimous. Welcome to Glee Club, Jesse!" he smiled at him, and Jesse tore his eyes away from Rachel to smile back before returning them back there. He gestured for Jesse to take a seat. He took the other seat next to Rachel. He looked past her. "Hello again, Finn Hudson," _I'm going to _crush_ you. _He said with his eyes.

Finn smiled back. "Yeah, it's nice to have another male to even out the club." _Bring it on, _pretty boy_._

Jesse smiled and held out his hand. Finn took it and they both squeezed as tightly as possible. They both pulled their hands away at the same time, both of them red. Rachel could only glance back and forth between them. The bell rang. Everyone exited the room hurriedly.

He turned to Rachel and sighed. "Rachel."

"I'm leaving," she said quickly pulling her backpack strap over her shoulder.

He grabbed her wrist before she could escape, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I only said your name! Are you _that_ angry?"

"Wouldn't you be?" she whirled on him now, her wrist still firm in his grip. She wrenched it away from him finally and he stood up to her eye-level. She took a step back. "You hurt me Jesse. I really liked you. But, if the feeling isn't mutual on both ends, then I don't see why we should waste time on the endeavor."

"What? _I_ hurt you?" he asked incredulously, gesturing to himself with his hand then pointing to her.

She glared at him angrily. "Yes, _you_ hurt me! You told me that I didn't matter to you!" her nails were digging into her palms, creating red-crescent shaped imprints.

He matched her stare. "And you ripped my heart out when you picked Fin—_them _over me!"

Rachel flushed in anger, maybe embarrassment. It was hard to tell. "That's irrelevant! I only deemed you unworthy of my trust! I didn't pick anyone over any—"

"_I'm _not worthy of your trust? Hah!" he poked his finger into her sternum. "Then, tell me, Rachel, who _is _worthy of your trust, huh? Is it your precious Glee Club? According to my memory, they used you countless times just for their own benefit!"

"That's…"

"… not true? It isn't? Really? When's the last time they congratulated you a job well done on a number, Rachel?"

Rachel took a sharp intake of breath. Before she could say anything, Jesse continued. "You can't think of a time that quickly, can you? What about Finn Hudson? When have you _ever _asked him for help and he came running?"

Rachel gulped. "I know!" she shouted. "I know _better_ than you, or anyone else, would! I know that, to them, I'm not their friend. I'm just a tool to advance their fame! I know that! You don't have to spell it out for me!" she shouted at him before storming out of the room, tears pouring from her eyes. The sight of her tears had melted away his previous anger.

He felt his previous rage begin to lose itself in a current of sympathy. He reached out to her. "Rachel."

"Don't touch me!" she screamed before his hand could even reach two inches of her face. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "Why did you come here? Why did you appear before me? Why! I wanted… I wanted to forget you!" she shouted at him and latched onto the front of his shirt. She took fistfuls and shook him back and forth. She looked up at him now, "Why can't you let me forget you?"

He couldn't take it anymore. He wrapped his arms around her as he used to and ran his hand through her hair in a comforting gesture. "Why do you _want_ to forget me?" he squeezed her tighter. "I won't let you!"

Rachel felt herself melting before she quickly wrenched herself out of his hug. She took a step away before she wiped at her face, trying to compose herself. She gulped and tried to get her emotions back under control. She cleared her throat and wiped at the tears that were running earlier. "Like I said," her voice cracked and she tried to clear her throat again, "I can't… trust you… Not the way you are now."

"Test me then. I'm being honest with you, so I'll pass," Jesse told her. _Liar._

"Test… you?" Rachel looked confused and a hiccup hit her from the tears she had cried earlier. He nodded. She put her finger to her chin in thought and after deliberating the offer, she decided. "All right. One week. I'll test you for three days."

_Three days? Is she serious? Is she underestimating me?_

"Beginning tomorrow, I don't want you to act with any suspicious conduct. Don't speak to anyone in Glee Club _except _me. Follow all instruction given by Mr. Schuester and..." she paused, trying to decide on whether to state the final condition, "... Regarding matters with Finn and I, don't try to intervene until the end of the three days."

His eyes narrowed at the final condition. He closed his eyes and said, "Fine."

She licked her lips before adding in, "After the three days are up, I... wouldn't mind going back to the way things were before."

He smiled now. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind either."

_

* * *

_

Wheee, mood swings. :D

As you can see, I don't really like songfics, so I didn't really put in a song for Jesse's try-out… Please don't be angry D:


	8. Chapter 8

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 8

Jesse leaned against the school gate, awaiting the arrival of his Juliet Capulet, Rachel Berry. He sighed as he tried to remain patient. He scratched the back of his neck as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder. He wondered if Rachel's punctuality was always this bad. It was already 7:45 and the late bell would ring at 8:00. Wasn't it normal for a girl to come to school early so that she could meet with her boyfriend, even if they were on a trial separation? He looked at his watch before folding his arms over his chest.

At last, he caught sight of Rachel exiting the car of her father. He smirked when he saw her step out. She clearly hadn't noticed him and she took her time getting out of the car, gathering her bag and other textbooks. She struggled with a heavy load and he chuckled softly as she cumbersomely tried to steady herself with her book bag, textbooks, and her folder of sheet music. He pushed his weight off of the gate and started to approach her to lighten the load when something rushed past him.

He was startled to say the least when he saw that Finn Hudson had hurried over to Rachel, taking some of the textbooks from her arms. She smiled happily at this and tried to modestly tell him that he didn't have to do this. He only smiled back, taking the books and walking side-by-side. Jesse saw Rachel's expression change when she finally noticed his presence. She looked away before walking past him into the gates.

Jesse watched them as Finn's hand brushed against hers. Her eyes flicked to them and she looked away quickly before Finn noticed where she was looking. He smirked and took her hand, walking proudly through the halls of William McKinley High school. Jesse's fist clenched at the sight. He walked into the gates as well and followed them for a few steps before turning down a different hall toward his own class.

* * *

Rachel and Finn were getting close to Rachel's locker, with Finn still holding her hand. She eased her hand out and began taking the books from Finn, placing them in their rightful place. She stopped and saw the picture of Jesse in her locker. She still hadn't taken it down. She stared wistfully at the picture before Finn had snapped her out of her daze. "Are you all right, Rachel?" he was waving a hand in front of her eyes, and he genuinely looked concerned.

She smiled weakly and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I… just thought I might have had something on my face…" she gestured to her the mirror that was below the picture of Jesse.

Finn nodded in understanding and offered his hand again to her. She stared at the outstretched gesture before walking past Finn toward her class. Finn rushed to keep up with her. "Whoa, is there a fire?" he joked.

Rachel passed by the seniors classroom section and walked faster through it. Finn tried to get her attention again, "Rachel, what's the matter?"

She finally answered him with a lie, "I have a perfect attendance record. I don't want to be tardy…" she answered hastily.

"Rachel, we just passed your classroom," Finn told her, turning her around. She avoided his stare and tried to focus on something else. "Seriously, Rachel, what's eating you?"

The star of New Directions trembled in her partner's grasp. Finn sighed when she didn't answer. "Why did I even bother asking? It's that Jesse guy isn't it?" her silence spoke for her and he continued. He hugged her. "When will you get it through your head that he just doesn't care about you like I do?"

She stepped away from him. "Finn… why are you like this all of a sudden?" she asked, looking into his eyes meaningfully.

Finn looked away from her scrutiny. "I don't know what you're talking about," he lied.

Rachel sighed before she started walking back toward her classroom that she had unknowingly passed. She stopped at the door and watched the clock. 7:55. She wasn't kidding about wanting to keep her perfect attendance. "I mean," she adjusted the way she held all of her belongings in a more comfortable position, "you… never helped me out with my books before when we were dating. And you've never really come out to meet me and walk me to class before either. I always had to find you. What I mean is… why are you doing all these things now that we've broken up?"

Finn took a deep breath through his nose before finally turning his attention back to her. He sighed, "I… read that kid's blog."

Rachel looked confused and she waited for him to continue.

"That kid who stalks you… he keeps a blog about you separate from the McKinley one… he updates it pretty frequently. He actually keeps pictures and stuff of you…" he trailed off as a smile plastered to his face. She cleared her throat and he snapped out of his daze. "Anyway, yesterday, I read one of the posts and the title of it was, 'Jesse St. James vs. Finn Hudson for Rachel Berry.'"

Rachel's eyes widened to the size of saucers at these words. "Wh-what?"

"He recorded your conversation with Jesse and I heard that you didn't want him to interrupt matters between us for three days. I… wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to fix things between us." Finn said. He cleared his throat and continued, "Can we fix things? I miss you, Rachel. I swear that I'll do anything."

The two-minute warning bell rang and Rachel looked between her classroom and Finn. "I… have to go," she tried to escape, but failed since he grabbed her wrist quickly.

"We still have two minutes."

Rachel snapped her wrist out of his grasp and she hurriedly went to the door. "I-I don't know!" she exclaimed before disappearing behind the door, leaving a dumbfounded Finn Hudson. She took her seat in the front of the classroom which was inconvenient since she just wanted to sit with her thoughts. _What's wrong with me? Isn't this what I wanted? Even when I was with Jesse, I couldn't forget Finn… but now that Finn _really_ wants to be with me, and Jesse has agreed not to intervene… why don't I want to return to Finn's side? _She buried her face in her hands, trying to clear her mind before looking up determinedly. _Rachel Berry, the road to being a star is full of decisions. You just have to be smart enough to make the right one!_

She was satisfied with that thought as she opened up her agenda, filling out her homework assignments for Chemistry. She pretended to stay focused on the teacher, but her thoughts were still fixated on the dilemma she was currently facing with Finn and Jesse. A note flew onto her desk during class and she opened it and instantly recognized the cursive handwriting to be Kurt's. She opened it up and read it quickly underneath her desk.

_Mr. Schuester is announcing solos today for "Can't Help Falling in Love." I trust that you remember our promise._

_-Kurt_

Rachel bit her lip and quickly scribbled her response and passed the note back inconspicuously.

_I know. Which part do you want? Soprano or Tenor?_

The response was quick and Rachel read it in her mind.

_Of course, Soprano. If Mr. Schuester objects to two males, then I want you to make _sure _that he agrees anyway._

Rachel sighed and passed the note back again.

_Naturally. I can do that easily._

Rachel began counting the seconds before the bell would ring. She watched the clock as she tapped her pencil to the exact timing of the second hand. She glanced around the classroom, still tapping in rhythm. The end of class was ticking ever so slowly as she glanced at Kurt who sat behind the seat to her right. He too was watching the clock, wondering when the bell would ring to bring them to their second period, bringing them closer to the end of their day, bringing them to Glee.

The bell rang and the two darted out the door, in a beeline to their next class, hoping to make the day tick away faster. It was the same routine. Rachel would zone out, staring at the clock before the bell would ring, and before she knew it, she was already at her fifth period, returning from her lunch period, alone. That was a little depressing, if she had to be honest. Instead of zoning out at the clock, she stared out the window.

Yes, she was hoping to avoid both Jesse and Finn, so as not to draw any unnecessary drama in the glee club, but did she have to be isolated from _everyone_? She had never felt so lonely before. At least before, Finn would sometimes sit with her if the "popular table" was full before he had gotten his lunch. After all, he was trying to get on her good side so that he could woo her. But even when he didn't sit with her, she had a different distraction from the solitude.

She had Jesse to think about. The anticipation of seeing him after school took her mind away from the thoughts of loneliness. She looked forward to seeing him as much as possible, finally finding someone to confide in.

She had tried to find that person in others, like Finn and Puck. But let's face it. Both of them were never going to get over Quinn Fabray. Finn can try and deny it all he wants. He can cover it up as much as he wanted. But, there was no hiding the wistful gazes that were casted in the blonde's direction.

Yes, Jesse had returned. She was very aware of that, but could she really just welcome him into her arms so easily? As much as her heart tells her to just let him back in, her logical mind tells her that he's up to something, that he shouldn't be trusted. As much as she hated to admit it, the suspicion was always there, ever since he announced his name, but she refused to face it.

She glanced up at the teacher about the literature they will be reading. "Now, as sophomores, I find it simply appalling that only _3_ of you have had exposure to Shakespeare's wonderful prose," she walked up and down the rows, placing a book on each desk, "which is why we are going to study one of his most famous works, _Romeo and Juliet_."

Rachel was brought back to thinking of Jesse as soon as the name _Romeo_ was spoken. Her heartbeat quickened and she stared at the cover of the book, envisioning Romeo as Jesse. Their curly hair had been matched along with their small smirks. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't morph the face of Juliet into her own even as a clear image of Jesse was standing there.

"Starting next week, we will begin reading in class, but before we do, I want you all to read the introduction to understand the language and structure of Shakespeare. I'll also give out roles to each of you, depending on volunteers," the teacher finished passing out books, then returned to the front board, "now this is an advanced class. If there are no volunteers, I will decide on _victims. _Is that understood?"

A few groans were heard from the students before the books were placed into their book bags. Rachel followed suit and returned to staring out the window. She really did try to focus. Yet, no matter what, her thoughts wandered elsewhere. Did stardom have to be so lonely that she had no friends? She looked about the room, and took notice that she sat in the front corner right by the window. The seats that were adjacent to her were empty, and all the other students had been assigned seats. Yet, why was she still somewhere off in a secluded area? Did fate deem her unworthy of others' company?

She swallowed before beginning to fiddle with her pencil, pretending to take notes on the structure of an Elizabethan sonnet. The door swinging open hadn't even startled her in the least. However the voice did. "Hello, Mrs. Pendergast. I'm Jesse St. James."

Mrs. Pendergast stopped her lecture and turned to the door. "Yes?" Before she could ask what he was doing in her classroom, a piece of paper was held in front of her.

"If I may, I would like to request to be your student aide. I promise to work hard," he smiled his smile that easily dazzled any woman.

The helpless Mrs. Pendergast didn't stand a chance, and quickly retrieved a pen from a student's desk, signing her name on the confirmation line, "Yes, a student aide would prove to be most useful for my class…" she handed the paper back to him. "Be sure to return that to the office after this period…"

Jesse smiled again and every girl in the class swooned, even Rachel tilted her head to the side a little, her neck suddenly feeling too weak to support her head. Boys only rolled their eyes at this. One yelled out, "Get a room!"

To which Mrs. Pendergast responded (after composing herself) with, "Detention, Mr. Karofsky! You will hold your tongue in my classroom!" She surprisingly filled out the detention slip rather quickly, then slammed it onto his desk, with force.

How people as dumb as Karofsky got into an advanced English class, Rachel couldn't fathom. The guy could barely distinguish the subject and a predicate, let alone a participle and a gerund. She would deliberate further on the subject, were it not for Jesse St. James standing before her English teacher, where she was (up until before he came) the only Glee kid in that class. Now that Mrs. Pendergast was finished with her episode with the hockey jock, she returned to the front, "Now, where should you sit… Ah."

She pointed in Rachel's vicinity and Rachel felt like jumping from her seat and out the window just to escape from Jesse turning to look at her. It was impossible for him not to have noticed her by now, but there was always hope, right? Mrs. Pendergast finished off her sentence, "You can sit in one of those desks over by Rachel; Rachel, raise your hand," she commanded.

She bit her lip. _Shake, doggie. _She thought to herself sarcastically. She raised her hand in the air, and Jesse remained indifferent as he took the seat to her left. Mrs. Pendergast walked to her desk and shuffled through some papers before placing them on Jesse's desk, "Grade these. They're from period 3. And," she pulled out another paper, "this is the key." Jesse nodded and began looking over the first test.

Rachel looked away from him, trying to remain indifferent to the tension surrounding them. _The first one to talk to the other is considered inferior in talent. That's the rule of stardom. I _won't_ acknowledge him unless he acknowledges me first. _Rachel thought to herself as she rested her chin on her hand, tapping her fingers against her desk. The inner diva in her was really demonstrating itself now, but she could only hold out for about 3 minutes before she whispered urgently, "What are you doing here?"

Jesse feigned astonishment before looking around himself as if wondering if Rachel was indeed speaking to him. "Oh, I'm sorry, were you speaking to me? Oh, Rachel! I didn't know you were in this class. What a coincidence!" he said, his smirk plastered firmly on his face.

His superb acting skills ticked Rachel off greatly, but she wasn't going to buy it. "Jesse, why did you become the teacher aide for my class?"

Jesse shrugged, "I can always add more to my application. Maybe I can go to an even more prestigious school than UCLA," he stated with indifference as he returned his attention back to the ungraded test papers.

"Hey, hey! Don't just turn away from me! I'm talking to you!" Rachel whispered angrily, her diva-ness really coming out.

"I'm sorry. I knew we were speaking whenever it was convenient for you; I didn't realize it also included when it was _in_convenient for me. Oh, wait, but if it was like that, then you would have looked for me this morning instead of trying to bring back an old spark with your ex-boyfriend," Jesse whispered to her.

"Jesse, I told you that I'd make sure that you weren't conducting suspicious behavior, not that I'd _haunt you like a ghost_," Rachel whispered back and she quickly registered the rest of his sentence, "And how come you didn't just look for me? Oh, wait, you did, but you didn't do anything! You _let_ Finn take me away!"

"That's what you wanted!" Jesse whispered back, raising his upper lip in a snarl. "You, oh so lucidly, told me that you don't want me to interfere in your and his affairs!"

"But I don't want you completely out of my life either!" she whispered back emotionally. If she weren't in a classroom, tears would be pouring from her eyes like water in a reservoir bursting past a dam. "I _do_ want to pick things back up from before we fought… but before that, can't you at least… act like my friend?"

Jesse clenched his teeth and his hand was gripping the pencil he was holding. He seemed to have whispered something that was inaudible for Rachel, but it seemed to have helped him decide. "Okay then. So, tell me, Rachel, how would a _friend_ act then?"

* * *

Wow, what a late update. Sorry about that... D:

(And it's not even that good! -sniff-)


	9. Chapter 9

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 9

Rachel glanced at the source of her frustration. He was only sitting there, innocently, with his pencil drumming against the desk and a finished pile of graded test papers. She looked away from him before he could look back at her. He noticed this and smirked. "You can stare at me if you want. I don't mind."

She snapped her neck toward him again, her hair flipping in the process. One might have thought she was practicing hairography with the way it moved so dramatically, "You are _so_ full of yourself," she spat at him angrily while trying to turn her attention back to the packet that was handed out to her.

He only shrugged, "Oh, don't be so angry just because you got in trouble for talking to me during class. You should know when it's appropriate, Ms. Berry."

"I accept my punishment gracefully, however I don't understand why I'm stuck with _you_ in the room!" she whispered to him with gritted teeth.

Jesse leaned against the back of the chair, moving his hands behind his head, "Mrs. Pendergast had to take care of the situation outside. Shouldn't you be working on that punishment packet?"

Rachel ignored the latter sentence, "Yes, the situation that you were supposed to handle!'"

"I'm only a student. I don't think those kinds of matters fall under my jurisdiction."

Silence.

"Ok, so maybe I might have been the one to throw the rock at Karofsky's thick head and Jacob was just nearby."

"Ah-hah!" she shouted at him, while pointing her finger at him. "I knew it…"

"What do you mean, 'I knew it.' At least I didn't leave that poor kid to Karofsky's mercy," he said while crossing his arms.

"If you were _really_ feeling sympathetic toward him, then you could have called for any of the other teachers that were closer to the scene! You didn't have to come back here _just _to get Mrs. Pendergast. You could have gotten Mr. Schuester whose classroom was nearer."

Jesse shrugged and made up an excuse, "Mr. Schuester was busy with Mrs. Pillsbury in his office," he said nonchalantly.

Rachel blinked at that. She shook it off and continued to try and reprimand him, "You aren't really acting like my friend."

"What do you mean? You told me earlier that a friend helps you out, greets you whenever possible, eats lunch with you, rescues you from any trouble, and tries to spend as much time as possible with you," Jesse listed Rachel's ideal friend conditions. "So, basically everything that I was doing for you when we were dating. Hmm, perhaps you are giving me those conditions to try and keep our relationship, while in denial?"

Rachel was speechless. She hadn't thought about it that way, but was he right?

"What's wrong, Rachel? Could my speculation have been right?" he tilted his head to the left and smirked at her.

Rachel stuttered out, "O-of course not," she closed her eyes, turning away from him. She tried to bring her focus back to the packet. She only had 1 of the 3 pages done. And she wasn't allowed to join the rest of the class while they were going on a field study to write a sonnet about nature. Originally, Rachel was supposed to stay in the classroom with Mrs. Pendergast, while Jesse was to watch over the students outside. However, a "frantic" (Damn him and his acting skills) Jesse had rushed into the classroom after only five minutes about Karofsky pounding Jacob. Mrs. Pendergast had rushed out to the scene, while she left Jesse in the classroom with Rachel.

"I don't see why it was necessary to throw a rock at Karofsky's head," Rachel commented, while finishing the second page.

Jesse only sighed, "He was irritating," he said as if that were a good enough explanation.

Rachel only rolled her eyes as she continued working on the grammar packet. She turned the page finally at the last page. She finished it in silence, all the while, she noticed that Jesse wasn't even _looking _at her; he had his eyes closed the whole time. She had to admit, she missed his constant attention toward her, as if she was a princess. She closed the packet and she began pulling her binder out to begin writing her sonnet. She started to go out the door, but Jesse didn't move. She cleared her throat, but Jesse still sat there, with his eyes closed.

She confusedly approached him. _Is he sleeping?_ she wondered to herself. She scrutinized his face, wondering how a human being could possibly have no imperfections about them. She realized that there was such a person, Jesse St. James. She looked at the way his nose didn't jut out of his face, but it wasn't too small to seem unnatural. His jaw-line was lacking any unattractive hair and the bone seemed to have been sculpted by a god. Her eyes lingered on his lips and she gulped. _Aren't you supposed to be suspicious of him? Why are you thinking of him like this?_ her mind kept on asking as she moved closer to him. However, her heart was screaming, _Do it already!_ When she was so close, she stopped, listening to her mind.

She had moved away quickly and she gathered her things, starting to exit the classroom. She inclined her head and looked into the classroom, still finding a sleeping Jesse St. James. She rushed out the door, outside, clutching the punishment packet in her arms.

Unbeknownst to Rachel, a pair of blue eyes snapped open and a smirk played across his face as he looked toward the door where Rachel had just disappeared. "Damn me, and my irresistibility," he said cockily. He rose from the seat and began to follow her out the door. He caught up with her easily and joked, "If you leave without me again, I'll tell Mrs. Pendergast that you tried to sneak away." He only laughed at her gasp of incredulity.

* * *

They made their way outside and Jesse had wrapped his arm around her, placing his hand on her shoulder. She uncomfortably moved out of this position and he narrowed his eyes. He tried placing her hand in his, but she slipped hers out. He sighed and gave up on physical contact while they walked. He just walked alongside her, 7 inches apart.

Rachel noticed his obvious dissatisfaction with only walking side-by-side. _Just this once and only because no one is here._ She weaved her arm with his, linked together. He looked at her with astonishment and smiled. She only blushed and looked away. He laughed at her as they walked out the door, finally reaching the location of the rest of the class.

She quickly removed her arm before any of her classmates could see, and he was disappointed, but accepted it anyway. Upon arrival, a finger was pointed at him. "It was him! He was the one who threw the rock at Karofsky, not me!" Jacob had accused Jesse quickly, trying to prove his innocence.

Jesse only stared at the finger and then feigned disbelief. "Me?" he placed a hand on his chest and blinked innocently.

Jacob only narrowed his eyes angrily, "Yes, you! After Karofsky had bad-mouthed Rachel, you picked up a rock and threw it square at the back of his head!"

Jesse only tilted his head to the side. "Why would I do that? Isn't that more like something you would do? Don't you hold an undying devotion for Rachel?" Jesse pinned those questions on Jacob. He glanced at Rachel whose expression was unreadable.

Jacob couldn't say anything, since they were true. Maybe he wouldn't have _actually_ thrown it at Karofsky, but he would play that heroic scene in his mind. "I…"

Karofsky cut him off, "Yeah, don't try and pin the blame on someone else, Afro! The rock came from your direction!"

Jacob turned to Karofsky and gave up arguing. If he did, it would only serve to bring more dumpster dipping for him, (which was already an inevitability).

Jesse left the scene, as Mrs. Pendergast finished up writing two detention slips for both Karofsky and Jacob. "Two detentions in one day, Karofsky. I must say, I'm impressed. And Jacob, don't try and blame others for your own deeds."

Jacob puffed his cheeks and sighed, giving in. He took the detention slip and had one thought in mind, _Bring down Jesse St. James._

Jesse walked by Rachel, and she only shook her head at him. "Was Jacob telling the truth?" she asked him with her arms crossed.

"About what?" he asked with a fake smile.

"You know what I mean!" Rachel exclaimed and sighed, "I mean… about hitting Karofsky because he was insulting me," she said while trying to search his face for any form of dishonesty. She waited for his sincere response.

Jesse sighed, "Yeah. He called you promiscuous and 'active' with men, because of your affairs involving Finn, Puck, and me." He looked anywhere except at her. He didn't want to look at her too when she would lecture him.

"Thank you," she said as she sat against a tree, and began writing her sonnet. She had a thoughtful expression as she began brainstorming ideas on what to write.

Jesse blinked at the "thank you" he had received from Rachel. He quickly regained his composure as he responded, "No problem." He sat down against the tree next to her, and tried to look at her page. She quickly hugged it to her chest, "No peeking." she said childishly while sticking out her tongue.

He sighed, "Fair enough." he leaned against the tree, attempting to take a nap. _Maybe Rachel might continue what she was doing in the classroom._

It was silent for another 10 minutes. The quiet serenity was broken with Rachel's voice, "Jesse, I know you're awake. You just smiled. Would you please stop pretending to sleep when you're next to me?" she requested as she finished up her sonnet, placing the piece of paper into her binder and her pencil in her pencil case.

He sighed, "Okay, okay, you caught me," he stood up and held out his hand to help her stand up. She hesitated. "C'mon, we're going to be late for Glee." she took his hand and they walked to the choir room together. They walked on silently through the halls and Rachel tried to move her hand out of his hand when they were getting closer to the choir room. Jesse caught her hand before she could and he looked at him, astonished.

"Jesse?" she called his name, confused.

He looked away before releasing her hand, "Nothing." He walked past her and took a seat nearby Mercedes and Kurt who were chatting about which stores to go to after school. He stared around the room, and he came across a revelation. _Everyone in Glee belonged in a clique. Finn would sit with Santana and Brittany, Mike and Matt would sit in front of the cheerios, Kurt and Mercedes would chat freely with Tina and Artie, and Puck would sit next to Quinn. That was the status quo. I don't belong with any of them, except with Rachel._ His eyes flickered toward her, and she was sitting alone, staring at her sheet music thoughtfully.

_A friend of mine would want to be by my side whenever they could._ Jesse reviewed that statement of Rachel's in his mind. He got up from his seat and took the seat next to hers and she looked up at him. He grinned down at her while she simply smiled back. She leaned against him happily, as a friend would. She gave in and showed him her sonnet and he commented on it. He told her where it could use some improvement, and how it would help to make the transition a little more obvious by changing a few words. She nodded at each one and changed each of the words.

"All right, guys, I know how _ecstatic_ you all are to hear who I've chosen for the solos of 'Can't Help Falling in Love,'" he placed his book bag onto the chair, and started to leaf through the papers inside. He found the sheet music and started leafing through it. "All right, male lead will be… Jesse! Come up here."

Jesse smirked as if he knew it was coming. He left his seat and looked expectantly at Rachel. Rachel, however sat there, nervously, her eyes shifting side to side. He watched her with confusion. _What's wrong with her? _He watched her for a while longer. _Awww, she thinks I might be singing with a different person and she—_

"And female lead will go to Rachel," Will said as he smiled at Rachel. He held out the sheet music to her, beckoning for her to stand up next to Jesse.

Rachel didn't accept the sheet music happily like she normally would; she didn't come up with some speech either as if she were accepting an academy award. She only remained in her seat and glanced over at Kurt who was looking at her expectantly. Her eyes shifted from both Kurt and Jesse. Finally, they stopped on Kurt. She turned back to Mr. Schuester, standing up. He was still holding the sheet music to her, and he looked slightly annoyed at her wasting practice time. "Mr. Schuester," she said finally, "I can't accept this solo."

Everyone in the room stared at Rachel in disbelief, except Kurt, who smirked. The whole time, Jesse's eyes were trained on her, and she walked toward Kurt. She remained there and she gestured to him, "I think other Glee members deserve the limelight as well, like… Kurt," she said as though every word was bringing pain to her.

"Rachel, the song has a high F," Mr. Schuester said, while still trying to give her the sheet music.

Kurt frowned at this, but Rachel wouldn't allow it. "I'm sure Kurt can reach it now, can't you?" she asked, looking at Kurt.

"Yeah, I'll help Kurt through it if he can't, Mr. Schuester!" Mercedes tried to offer her assistance to the possible chance that Kurt will get his own solo. She smiled at Rachel, as if trying to show that she appreciated her generosity.

Kurt looked nervously at Mr. Schuester, Mercedes, and Rachel. "If-if I work on it, I'm sure—"

"_Guys_," Mr. Schuester interjected. He ran his fingers through his hair, "Rachel, I understand your opinion, and I like that you're willing to share the spotlight, but this song is not meant to be a duet between two males—"

Rachel went into her "I-have-two-gay-dads" mode, "I'm sure the audience can appreciate it. It will show that the Glee club of William McKinley embraces all forms of sexuality, and that we are not in the least bit homophobic."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jesse entered the banter. He looked between the Glee Club, Rachel, and Mr. Schuester. "I _won't_ sing with another guy, especially not a song like 'Can't Help Falling in Love.'"

"Can't you just try?" Kurt pleaded. He sighed and stood up. "I know that it's awkward for two males to sing this song, but I really want my shot at the spotlight. But, I _don't_ want my voice to be overpowered by power-house voices like Mercedes or Rachel's. Will you just let me try singing soprano?"

Mr. Schuester pinched the skin between his eyebrows. "This is really unconventional. I don't think you _understand _that we are facing _Vocal Adrenaline,_ last year's champions at Regional's! It's not going to be like Sectionals where our competition wasn't exactly strong." He tried to reason with the club, but they seemed dead set on letting Kurt sing the solo.

He sighed, "All right. Fine. Kurt, I'll let you try singing the solo, but if you can't reach the high F, then I can't let you have it." He handed the sheet music to Kurt and he walked to Jesse. "I'm sorry, Jesse. I can't have ill feelings from the club right now. Can you try and cooperate for now?" he requested the previous star of Vocal Adrenaline.

He breathed through his nostrils, as if trying to calm down. "Fine, I'll try it out. _But_ I get to decide whether or not _I_ want to perform it."

Will nodded in understanding and signaled for the pianist to play the accompaniment. Jesse breathed deeply and sang the first two lines of the song, waiting for Kurt's entry. Kurt's entry was smooth, and his voice seemed to have reached a whole new quality. Kurt became more emotional as the song continued and Jesse could only stare at him as if there were a dancing stuffed animal atop Kurt's head. Kurt smiled at Jesse and took his hand, trying to get Jesse to move into step with him.

Everyone in the Glee Club smiled at the performance, some in amusement, and others in support. Rachel, on the other hand, tried to hide away from Jesse's glaring. _I asked him to be my friend, but is it really fair for me to not return the gesture? _She watched Jesse in his clear discomfort. Her eyes flickered to Finn, who seemed to be upset with the number. _Why is Finn so upset?_

_What is wrong with this guy? I _really_ don't like the way that he's staring at me…_ Jesse thought to himself, as Kurt was dancing around him. Jesse escaped to the piano and he tried to stay opposite Kurt, but no matter what, he kept trying to follow his uncomfortable partner. He looked over at Rachel, who was hiding her face from him.

_I never noticed this before, but the shade of Jesse's blue eyes is much prettier than Finn's dull brown color. I feel like I could drown in the ocean of them. His voice has _much_ better quality than Finn's too. I could definitely see myself doing more duets with Jesse in the future. I wonder what Jesse is thinking right now? _Kurt thought to himself as he kept on trying to follow Jesse's constant escaping behind the piano. _Wow, I feel so confident singing with him. I feel like… _His thought process stopped as both he and Jesse approached the ending of the song. Kurt reached the high F with ease and Jesse was, of course, hitting his final note as well.

Jesse quickly escaped from the room, with Kurt looking quite proud of himself. He stared after Jesse. _Goodbye, Finn. Hello, Jesse._

Rachel got out of her seat and chased after Jesse before anyone could interject. She looked around the hallway, trying to find which way he had gone. She looked to the left, and started going that direction, when a hand caught her arm from behind. She squealed in surprise before she was pulled away. "What was _that_ all about, Berry!" Jesse whispered to her angrily.

"I'm sorry! I promised Kurt that I would give him my next solo!"

"Did it_ have _to be my first solo as a part of New Directions?" Jesse asked her and walked away from her. "I wanted to sing that song with _you_!" he pointed at her as he paced back and forth, "or at least with someone who wouldn't ruin my sexual orientation!"

"What do you have against Kurt?" she asked now, narrowing her eyes.

Jesse looked at her now, both confusion and anger were etched on his face.

"Kurt is my friend. I know that it may not seem that way at times, but he's a very good friend of mine, he's a part of my team, and now he's a part of yours too. My team is very important to me, and I expect you to respect that."

Jesse moved closer to her, but he didn't look the least bit happy. "Rachel, I left Vocal Adrenaline to be with you, _not_ to become friends with your team."

"Then leave," Rachel said simply, trying to show sternness in her expression.

Jesse clenched his teeth. "Fine."

* * *

Damn the plot and its inconsistency. It seems like Jesse and Rachel were only together for like the first half, huh? There's always difficulty when it comes to true love, though, right? :P


	10. Chapter 10

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 10

The door slammed behind Jesse as he stormed into Shelby Corcoran's office. She didn't even blink from the work she was doing at her desk. "Jesse, I told you to only come every week. It's only been two days since you went to McKinley. What, did you miss it so much? Well, get over it, I want Rachel on our side, and I want to _crush_ Will Schuester—and his Glee Club," she said.

"Get someone else because I _quit_," Jesse said sternly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Now, Shelby stopped working and looked up at him. She removed her glasses and stared at him before asking one simple word, "_What_?"

"I don't want to do this stupid job of yours anymore," Jesse stated.

Shelby feigned deafness, and cleared her ear with her finger, "I'm sorry, I must not be hearing too well—"

"Then read my lips!" Jesse shouted and mouthed with emphasis, "I _quit_."

Shelby Corcoran's nostrils flared just slightly at this and she breathed in deeply before letting out after 10 seconds. She closed her eyes as she exhaled. She snapped her eyes back open and glared at Jesse with pure anger. "You _can't_ just _quit_ in the middle of this, Superstar."

Jesse crossed his arms defiantly.

Shelby's glare hadn't faltered in the least. Even when she leaned into the back of her chair, her focus was still trained on his face. After what felt like centuries, the tension was cut with Shelby's words, "I won't let you quit on me now, Superstar," she folded her arms over her desk. "I won't give up until I get Rachel on our side as well as bringing the defeat of Will Schuester."

"Why!" Jesse tossed his arms into the air to demonstrate his point. "I don't see the _purpose_ in retrieving Rachel! Yeah, I understand the whole, 'bring down your rival of your past,'" Shelby blushed and tried to cut him off, but a hand stopped her from speaking. "Save it. I already know that you and Mr. Schuester have had a history. And I couldn't care less how you want to tear him down. I'll help you do that at Regional's, but I don't understand how it's necessary to get Rachel on our side!"

Shelby tried to regain control in their banter, "I went over this with you last time. I told you that you're _falling_—"

"No. That's not it," Jesse's eyes narrowed at her. "There's something else to this."

Shelby attempted to keep her expression indifferent. "I don't know what you're talking about," she turned her chair around and faced her computer screen, hoping to escape the scrutiny she was under. She gasped when Jesse had stalked over and whirled the chair around, preventing any escape by blocking with his body.

"_Stop_ avoiding it." Jesse pressed, trying to get an answer out of Shelby. He was dangerously close and Shelby gulped from the nerves. "_Why_ are you pressing me so much to get Rachel Berry onto Vocal Adrenaline?"

Shelby looked away from Jesse, then focused back and she sighed. "You wanna know the truth? Fine," Shelby shoved him away, and he moved away easily as she stood up from the chair. She pushed him back in the seat in front of her desk as she paced back and forth with her hands folded behind her back. "Rachel Berry is my niece."

Jesse looked perplexed. He hadn't expected that answer. The answer he was expecting was more along the lines of, "I see a great future in Rachel being in Vocal Adrenaline," or "I need someone to replace you once you go to UCLA."

Shelby continued as if she had just read his mind, "Yes, having a replacement for you was another part of it, but the biggest part was a promise that I made with Rachel's mother," she looked reminiscent of an event in her past as her eyes went out of focus.

Jesse sat there silently, waiting for her to elaborate on the promise. "And that promise was…?"

Now, she whirled on him, anger rushing out of her like a torrent of water. "That's _none _of your business."

Jesse raised his hands as if surrendering. "All right, fine. Good enough for me. I won't push any more out of you since it really isn't my business. Though, now I think I understand the basic gist of why you want Rachel," he stared thoughtfully at the wall before turning back before letting out a sigh, "I'll give it my shot again tomorrow, all right?"

Shelby nodded. "By the way, Jesse, I want results. If I don't have Rachel in Vocal Adrenaline by the time we enter Regional's, I can't enter her into National's with us either. And then there's practicing numbers with everyone else, and gaining acceptance with the other members…" Shelby trailed off as she pulled a calculator out from her desk. She pushed a few numbers and the plus sign and then pointed an accusing finger at Jesse. "Get Rachel on our side in two weeks; and I want you to report after one with good progress."

Jesse gawked. "Two weeks! The only trust I've gained in that Glee Club is that of the gay kid, Kurt Hummel, let alone Rachel's! How am I supposed to convince her to join us in two weeks!" Jesse tried to reason with Shelby.

The words fell on deaf ears as Shelby held up a hand as if it were a wall or obstacle that inhibited conversation. "I don't care. Just do it. Otherwise," Shelby said threateningly, "if your progress isn't satisfactory within a week, I might just send another."

Jesse's teeth clenched. He didn't want to think of another guy trying to latch onto Rachel and dragging her into hell. No, if anyone was going to rip an angel out of heaven and into the pits of fiery hell, it would be Jesse, the devil himself. The devil had been awoken as he smirked with confidence, "Don't worry. I'll get Rachel." _I won't let anyone else _near _her._

Shelby only grinned while still looking at the paperwork in front of her. "See ya in a week, Superstar."

He waved over his shoulder as he shut the door behind him.

Upon exiting the office of Shelby Corcoran, he mounted his bike again, set on going back in the direction of the school. He had left in the middle of Rehearsal, and knowing Rachel, she would probably still be at the school, maybe at the Ballet Club Room, practicing. He remembered her telling him that she would go there when she felt uneasy.

It took twenty minutes to get to the school after running into three red-lights. He slipped his helmet off, shaking his hair out like a dog that had its coat washed. He placed it on his bike, and locked it in place to prevent it from being stolen. He stuffed the keys into his jeans pocket as he stepped into the gates of Hel—William McKinley High. He walked through the halls and came across both Mercedes and Kurt who were walking in the halls, their arms linked and their hips side by side.

Mercedes rose an eye brow at their formal enemy. There were no words exchanged since Jesse was not supposed to speak to anyone in the Glee Club for another two days. However, Kurt was not satisfied with a simple glance in his direction. He grabbed Jesse's elbow and prevented him from going any further down the halls. "Hey, Jesse. You wanna go shopping with me and Mercedes?"

Jesse looked almost disgusted at the word, 'shopping.' Don't misunderstand. Jesse is very interested in image, so he would occasionally visit a clothing store to make sure that he was in-style, prepared for any "fashion police," that he would soon run into on the red carpet. However, shopping with Mercedes and Kurt hadn't seemed the least bit appealing to him. Yeah, maybe he'd go with Rachel; he'd probably steer her away from the Disney Store, so that she wouldn't try and get any T-shirts with Miley Cyrus or Demi Lovato.

Jesse politely turned them down with a fake smile, shaking his head, as he eased himself out of Kurt's grip and headed down the hall again.

Kurt was going to insist, but Mercedes stopped him. "Forget it, Kurt. Let's just go." And so they did, headed toward the gates to board Kurt's new car.

Jesse's venture to find Rachel wasn't going to be inhibited so easily. However, the next people he ran into were the two cheerio's, a girl in a baby doll dress, and the jocks whose names were escaping his mind at the moment. He remembered that two of them started with an _M_, while the one with a Mohawk… Jesse drew a blank. Their Vocals weren't very strong; their voices mostly faded in the back like any other Baritoners. Tenors like he and Finn were usually the lead vocals and naturally were stronger among the men.

He tried to just go around them, but the girl in a cheerio uniform caught him the same way Kurt had. "Hey, Jesse, right?" Santana feigned ignorance of his name.

Jesse rolled his eyes at this, which was unnoticed by all except for Puck. _If you're going to pretend, you've got to sell it _way_ better than that._

She grinned even though he didn't answer. "What do you say to going on a little excursion with us? You see, I think we're lacking in numbers for a triple date," Santana made eyes at Jesse that resembled the persuading eyes of a goddess.

Jesse tried the same approach he had done with both Kurt and Mercedes and fake-smiled while shaking his head politely. He tried to escape, however this girl's grip was much firmer than Kurt's.

"C'mon. What's the big deal? Think of it this way, if you come with us, I'll convince everyone else in the Glee Club that you're here as a _friend_, not a _spy_," Santana was very persuasive as she chose her words. "Unless… you _are_ a spy, and…"

Jesse broke out of her grip forcefully and stalked down the hall before Santana could call after him. They glared at his back as he turned, disappearing. Santana huffed and flipped her hair. "Forget him. Let's go, Matt," she linked arms with Matt as they too started down the hall, heading to the restaurant, Breadsticks.

Jesse glared over his shoulder and rolled his eyes in annoyance. _As if I want _your _trust. I don't need yours, I need _Rachel's_. _Jesse thought to himself as he once again saw other Glee Club members. They didn't seem to care that he was walking past them though. He guessed that they didn't find a greeting was necessary. Jesse smiled that there wouldn't be any more inhibition from the two—

His elbow was caught suddenly. Jesse couldn't help but whisper a swear angrily to himself. He turned around with an irritated fake smile and was met with Artie's terrified face with Tina's confused expression behind Artie, guiding his wheel chair. "I-I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!" Artie rose his hands up defensively as Tina began to feel protective of her friend.

She stepped in front of Artie and held up her hands in fists. "I'm a black belt in Judo, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Aikido. Don't mess with Artie." She glared at Jesse with pure hatred.

Jesse rose his hands up defensively. He didn't think his expression was that venomous. He was just irritated. He softened his expression. The only comeback he could give back was probably something along the lines of "I've mastered ballet, jazz, tap dance, gymnastics, and various other dances." Yeah, like that'll help him against Tina.

Tina noticed that Jesse held no hostility and stepped away, returning to her position behind Artie's wheel chair. "Artie, it's okay, I don't think he'll hurt you," she laughed as Artie moved his defensive arms away from his face. "Oh, okay. Sorry, I see Puck have that same expression whenever he's going to beat me up…" Artie trailed off, and then shook his head. "Never mind. That wasn't what I wanted to tell you. I was going to tell you that Rachel's not at Ballet. She's still in the club room."

Jesse blinked at the kind gesture. He nodded to show his gratitude as he headed over to the Choir room. He waved at them as Tina guided Artie down the halls. _Maybe not all of the Glee Club members are irritating. _His face paled slightly. _But, I definitely don't want to mess with that girl who knows Martial Arts. _Jesse was approaching the Choir Room and he began thinking of the other members again. _Wait, I've run into that Kurt kid and his friend, those two jocks, cheerio's, blondie, Mohawk, Artie, and Martial Arts girl. That's… 10 members. There are thirteen members in the Glee Club including me now, so with Rachel and I, that's 12 members._ His eyes narrowed. _Someone else is still with Rachel._

He slammed the door open and announced his presence, "Rachel!"

The sight that greeted Jesse made his eyes narrow and his mind explode with jealousy and anger.

"J-Jesse!"

* * *

Cliffhanger? Oh, yes. (By the way, I don't know if Tina really does those things, but she's Asian, so she's had to have been forced into getting talented in other stuff too. It's inevitable as an Asian! ... Even for me)

This was a REALLY late update, but I had a good reason!

I was lazy.

Just kidding! (Not really) But, I still have a lot of Finals to study for, so… Yeah. Who else is excited for Summer Vacation? Unless you have a job, then… that sucks. :P


	11. Chapter 11

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 11

Rachel was blushing tomato red as she stared at Jesse as he had burst through the door. She was in a very compromising position, and judging by Jesse's expression, she had a lot of explaining to do. She looked away from Jesse and stared at the one who was sharing the same position with her. Finn stared back without an ounce of fear in his eyes, unlike hers which looked as if she were a deer in head lights.

Finn hadn't moved away from Rachel, and this was not making Jesse happy. Rachel tried to recount the events and how it had lead to her current situation.

After Jesse had stormed away, Rachel returned to the choir room, slumping in her chair. Indeed, it was pretty much her fault for _telling_ him to leave, but she didn't think he'd comply so easily. She was hoping that she would hear the other response that would make her heart flutter: "I'm not leaving you Rachel. I'll defy any force that keeps us apart."

She frowned. Of course he wouldn't tell her that after she commanded him to leave. Why did she tell him to leave again? Oh, right. She was defending Kurt. At remembering Kurt, she glanced over at him; he was glowing with confidence and happiness. At least someone got something good out of this. She sighed as Kurt absorbed the attention that was given to him by the other members. Mr. Schuester continued speaking with Brad, explaining where he might want to add _crescendo _and _decrescendo_ as well as _ritardo_.

Rachel stared at the sheet music. "Can't Help Falling in Love," huh? Why couldn't her love life be that simple? With Finn, he always wanted someone else. With Puck, he only had his heart set on Quinn or one of the other popular, pretty Cheerios. She thought about her other love interests and remembered Jacob. Ew. Why did she think of Jacob. He was out of the question. Then there was her crush on Mr. Schuester. Wow, that was gruesome. But, when she had finally found a soul-mate in Jesse, he _had _to be her sworn enemy. She remembered the lines of _Romeo and Juliet_.

_My only love, sprung from my only hate._

How that line had matched her so perfectly. Jesse and his talent, along with his confidence, and the chemistry that she definitely felt when she was alongside him had drawn her to him. She wondered if Jesse felt that chemistry too. What if he _is_ just a spy? But he promised. Promises don't last forever. Her mind was racing with these thoughts, when one thought came to favor Jesse, another came to bring about a contradiction.

The school bell had snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up at the clock. Astonishingly, 20 minutes had passed since Jesse left. Everyone was packing their things. As she was about to leave as well, Mr. Schuester beckoned her. "Rachel, can I see you in my office?"

She nodded and followed Mr. Schuester like a duckling follows the mother, in a straight line exactly 3 paces behind. She entered Mr. Schuester's office, which was noticeably smaller than Ms. Sylvester's or Ms. Pillsbury's.

"Close the door, Rachel," he commanded, and she did so wordlessly. He pulled up a chair. "Sit." She followed his orders and smoothed out her skirt before sitting down with her legs crossed.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Schuester?" She tried to feign ignorance as she twiddled with her thumbs. Unfortunately, Mr. Schuester could see straight through her as if she were made of cellophane.

"Rachel, you know what I want to talk to you about," he stated. She stared at him silently. He inhaled and exhaled deeply through his nose. "Why did you decide to give your solo away to Kurt?" he asked as he prepared a tissue box which he was sure would be needed. Rachel tended to get overly dramatic whenever he invited her into his office. There had to be a _very _dramatic reason why Rachel, the one _driven_ by fame, gave up the spotlight.

Rachel shrugged simply, trying to act as though she were indifferent. Actually, she was very disappointed that she had to give up the solo. She really wanted to sing that song with Jesse. No, that's not right. She was supposed to be angry with him. She mentally slapped herself. She wanted the solo to get a chance to be discovered at Regional's. But there was no way that she could break a promise. Though at times, Rachel may be overbearing, dramatic, and way too driven by her dreams, Rachel also liked to pride herself by being a faithful person. She would never commit acts of an infidel, liar, or a cheater.

Will tried to press the answer with his stare, but Rachel was a wall that wouldn't be penetrated. She stared back blankly. Finally, she broke the silence. "Mr. Schuester, I have no ulterior motive or anything by giving the solo to Kurt. I truly believe that he deserves the spotlight."

"Rachel, you do realize that by doing so, you might have lost Jesse."

Rachel noticed that he said _you_ instead of _we_. "If Jesse is able to walk out on us so easily, then we don't need him anyway," she said as her voice cracked just slightly. She trembled in her seat as Will began pacing around the room. She hugged her arms in hopes of hiding her tremulous body. It looked like she was crossing her arms, but Will knew.

He knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Rachel, it's okay. Don't cry."

Her face was indifferent even as the tear fell from her left eye. It dripped down to her chin, but she acted as if she was perfectly fine. "I'm fine. I don't know what you're talking about," she gulped and cleared her throat when her voice cracked again. Her voice hitched and she grabbed a tissue off of Mr. Schuester's desk. She dabbed at her eyes and blew her nose into the tissue. Finally she showed how she was really feeling. She felt broken, unhappy, and disappointed. "I don't want to say goodbye to him…!" She blew her nose into the tissue.

Will rubbed Rachel's shoulder reassuringly. To Will, all of his Glee students felt like his own children. He shushed her as he passed her another tissue, pulling the trash can closer.

Unbeknownst to the two, Finn was waiting outside Mr. Schuester's office, staring at the ground with his arms crossed and leaning against the wall. "Jesse St. James, you have no idea how much Rachel cares about you."

* * *

After about 10 more minutes full of reassuring rubs and about 16 tissues, Rachel exited Mr. Schuester's office, clutching the tissue box and her book bag. She thought about what Mr. Schuester had said after her episode about Jesse. _"I think it would be best if we didn't have Jesse sing that song. If you could, can you ask Finn to sing with Kurt? I think he likes Kurt the most of all the guys."_

Rachel giggled at that statement. It was more like the other way around. Mr. Schuester had gone out the other door, heading to what seemed to be the direction of Ms. Pillsbury's office. She looked behind her as she stuffed the sheet music into her bag. She was greeted by Finn and she surprisingly smiled and waved before approaching him.

"Hi, Finn. What are you still doing here?" she asked quizzically. She quickly hid the tissue box behind her back, but he gave her a knowing look. Rachel sighed before placing the tissue box on top of the piano.

"What did Mr. Schuester say?" Finn asked her with a small smile as if to show that Rachel could trust him with divulging the conversation. He led her to one of the chairs as he stood pulled another one up in front of Rachel, sitting while leaning against the back of the chair.

Rachel gulped. Finn was rather close, but she chose to try and ignore this. "He asked me to request that you sing the ensemble with Kurt. It seems that Mr. Schuester would prefer not to take away Kurt's limelight."

Finn nodded, understanding. "Okay. Sure."

Rachel blinked. She hadn't expected Finn's easy compliance. "R-really? So easily?" Finn had never agreed to any of her requests so easily before. Her mind recalled the Glee photo opportunity and many similar events.

Finn smiled as if he had known she would be surprised by his response. "Of course," Finn lifted one of her hands with both of his. He enveloped her whole hand with his significantly larger and calloused one. "Unlike some people," Finn referenced some other love interests of Rachel, "I'll do anything for you."

Rachel felt herself melting and she resisted rubbing her cheek against Finn's hands. She wondered if her relationship with Finn would be more equal now that he was courting her. She had tried too hard, and he had tried to stay away. Maybe, now that they were _almost_ equal, she could go with Finn. When he smiled at her like that, it was _so_ hard not to fall in love with him. She once again felt herself entering a dream land as she lost herself in his brown eyes.

Finn took advantage of her daze and leaned forward, their noses brushing against each other. Rachel lost her breath and her heart skipped a beat. He whispered, "I won't kiss you, unless you _really _want me to," he leaned forward even more, "Just say, 'yes.'"

Rachel gulped and her eyes were half-lidded. "Ye—" she was cut off by the door slamming open.

"Rachel!" Jesse was at the door, with a frantic expression. She snapped her gaze to him and she saw his face immediately twist in anger. She gulped.

And this is how she had ended up with an awkward situation with Jesse at the door with a fierce gaze along with Finn's nose still touching hers with their lips just about to touch. Unfortunately, Rachel couldn't really move because Finn had threaded his fingers into her hair.

Jesse stalked over to them and ripped Finn away from Rachel and right out of his chair. He pulled Rachel to her feet and led her out the door, not even sparing Finn a glance-back. Rachel on the other hand looked over her shoulder at Finn as he stared right back at her. Her eyebrows knit together. _Why isn't he chasing after me?_

She refocused on Jesse who had a very firm grip on her wrist which wasn't letting up at all. She extended her hand toward Finn as she was pulled to the door. Finn could only watch painfully as Rachel was pulled away and out the door which slammed loudly.

* * *

"Jesse, what are you doing?" Rachel finally regained her composure and voiced her disapproval of the situation. Her brain worked, trying to think of reasons to be angry with him. She clenched her teeth as she growled, "I believe I told you not to interfere with matters between Finn and—" She was cut off when she was shoved against the school lockers. One of the locks had pushed into her back and she gasped in pain. "Ow! Jesse—"

He slammed his fist against the locker nowhere near her. She was frozen stiff at the sound as it echoed throughout the hallway. "Jesse," she whispered with fear in her voice. She trembled while his hands were clenched in fists on either side of her head. His head was resting on her shoulder, his hair tickling her neck. From what she could tell, Jesse was trembling as well. Whether he was shaking from anger, or fear like her, she couldn't tell. She remained motionless, her palms of her hands against the lockers.

She moved to push him away so that she could see his face, but she chose not to when he spoke. It was quiet, and there was just a small quaver as his voice shrank away, "Please… don't mention Finn Hudson. Not now… Not after I just saw that…"

Rachel shivered from his breath against her skin, but most of all, she shuddered from his tone. Never before, had she heard a tone that contained so much pain from him, not even when he sang "My Immortal" by Evanescence at one of the competitions. And, for Jesse to show more emotion than in one of his performances was close to impossible. Vocal Adrenaline members were self-proclaimed emotionless automatons. Rachel sniffled as a tear ran down her cheek again. She moved her arms and rested her hands on his shoulder blades as she tried to give him comfort. She moved them to his face to both his cheeks and she raised his head away from her shoulder.

Jesse's tear-stained face almost made her break down in front of him. Her lip quivered as she caressed his cheek. He closed his eyes as he moved his head into her hand, seeming to revel in her touch. He opened his eyes and brought his hand up, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb. She gulped as she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Upon hearing her apology, Jesse realized just why Rachel didn't forgive him so easily. _I never apologized to her for saying that._ He finally understood why she had always looked at him expectantly when they would be speaking to each other. _She was waiting for me to apologize. I feel like such a fool. _His eyebrows furrowed as he again buried his head into her shoulder. "No. I'm the one who should be apologizing… If I hadn't said that, then this whole thing—"

"No, don't… What I did was much worse," Rachel tried to comfort Jesse.

"No… it wasn't. Nothing happened between you and Finn Hudson," Jesse stated as he rubbed his forehead into her shoulder.

"Something could have though. And if you hadn't come in, I would've welcomed it…" Rachel reasoned as she threaded her fingers into his hair, her command to Jesse long forgotten. She tried to reassure him so that he would look at her. "Jesse, stop hiding from me," she sighed. "Jesse, I-I forgive you for what you said at the auditorium."

"No!" Jesse shouted out, "Don't forgive me! I'm your enemy! I only bring _destruction_ and _pain_ to you!" Though he said that, he found himself pulling her away from the locker slightly to wrap his arms around her. Though his words might have tried to convince her that he didn't want forgiveness, his eyes were windows to his true feelings, and Rachel could see them so clearly.

"Jesse," Rachel gulped before continuing, "I… will pretend that it never happened. Everything after you drove me home the first time… I'll completely put it behind me."

Jesse pulled away from her and turned his back, "That's _it_? So easily?" Jesse took two steps away from her. "I say something as unforgiveable as that, and you're willing to just 'put it behind you?'" he asked incredulously as he clenched his teeth and his knuckles turned white.

Rachel's soft and understanding expression was starting to deteriorate. It was slowly replaced with one that threatened to cry from any hurtful words. "Are you saying you don't want me?" her voice turned shallow. _Why are you surprised? Finn didn't want you; Puck didn't want you; Mr. Schuester didn't want you. Why do you think Jesse wants you? _She gulped as she bowed her head down, as if thinking that would hide her eyes before tears ran down. She hiccupped and she was crushed in a suffocating hug. "J-Jesse!"

"Don't _ever_ say I don't want you," Jesse whispered as he tightened his arms around her.

Rachel gulped back her tears before burying her face into his shirt. She returned the hug by only behind her elbows and resting her hands on his back since Jesse had rendered humerus immobile.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

"Report."

"They seem to have reconciled and Rachel Berry is allowing him back in."

"Are you serious? Man, he works fast."

"Yes, but the reconciliation seemed too…"

"Too what?"

"Too… real; it seemed as if he was being sincere. I don't think he was acting."

"That kid is in Vocal Adrenaline, a legion of teens who were _born_ for the stage."

"He definitely seemed genuine to me. I think you should make sure he knows what he's _supposed_ to be doing."

"Hmph. Fine. I suppose I can mobilize you. Here, forms for registration at William McKinley. Don't disappoint me."

"Never, Ms. Corcoran."

* * *

I think I'm still heart-broken that Jesse and Rachel are "over." Yeah, I like Finn/Rachel, but I was kind of hoping that Jesse WOULDN'T be a plot device for them. Everyone in the freaking series is. There isn't a single character that ISN'T a plot device to get Rachel and Finn together.

Oh, well. Hopefully, there'll be a return of St. Berry in season 2, otherwise I'll lose like… 40 percent of the reason I watch Glee.

Inconsistent updating~ :P


	12. Chapter 12

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 12

Rachel beamed at Jesse as they walked into the school gates, his arm around her and holding onto a few of her textbooks. Walking at his side felt like she was the queen of the school, as if everyone else stopped to stare at their magnificence and glow. She smiled wider thinking about her status in the social hierarchy climbing now that she was no longer "Rachel-the-Prude," or "That-girl-who-looks-like-she's-12." No. Now, she had Jesse, the strapping new senior, former star of Vocal Adrenaline, and most of all, half of New Directions' newest power couple. People wouldn't look at her and think she was childish any more. She was mature, sophisticated, and—

SLOSH!

—_covered in red slushie._

Jesse eyes widened to the size of saucers as he cleaned off her face with a handkerchief. He clenched his teeth, "What the hell do they think they're doing!" he stood up and began to stalk toward the dynamic duo against all things Glee Club: Karofsky and his accomplice Azimio. Rachel reached out to him and grabbed his arm. He turned around to her, "What are you doing? I'm trying to give those jerks a piece of my mind! Their conduct and actions are absolutely intolerable!"

"It's okay, Jesse. Being slushied is practically what I've been going through every day, even prior to my try-out for Glee Club," Rachel stated, reaching into her book bag, pulling out what looked like shampoo and conditioner. "I'm used to it, Jesse," she started walking toward the Girl's bathroom. "Wait for me out here. It'll only take five minutes…" she walked inside as Jesse stood there, dumbfounded.

"That's what happens every day?" Jesse whispered to himself incredulously as he held onto her book bag. He crossed his arms. "Everyone in Glee Club just _deals_ with it…?" He looked around the halls and ran his fingers through his hair. "_All _of them? What kind of jerks are the students of William McKinley?" He leaned against the wall. _Does that mean that they dump their sluhies on Artie and Quinn too? Really? Who wants to be the asses who poor slushies on a pregnant girl and a kid in a wheel chair. Freaking messed— _Jesse stopped that thought. His eyebrows furrowed as if there was a disturbance. He returned to thinking, deciding that it was only his imagination. _What am I thinking? _He shook his head furiously. _Why should I care about William McKinley's Glee Club? The only one I care about is Rachel—I mean myself and my future. Ugh, I should stop listening to Journey on my iPod. _

Rachel exited the bathroom, completely clean with a change of clothes. "Let's go to class," she told him. He wordlessly placed his hand in hers as he walked her to her first class. They arrived shortly and Jesse kissed her on the forehead before allowing her to open the door. He watched her even as the door slammed. He had a strange feeling since he came into the gates. He shook his head, deciding it was only his imagination.

* * *

She walked into the lab and sat down at her desk, scribbling the notes on the board in her notebook. The faster she finished the notes, the more time she would have to herself to think. The bell rang and the teacher stood up from his desk, announcing that lecture would be starting. "All right, settle down, settle down. Today, we'll be transferring to a different branch: Biochemistry. Now, who can tell me what we study in—"

A knock broke off the teacher's sentence. He sighed. "Mr. Chang, would you mind opening the door?"

Mike stood silently as he turned the door handle, opening the door wide enough for the class to look who was behind the door.

"Class, it appears that we have a new student," Mr. Harrington stated. He continued in a whisper, "in the middle of May." He gestured to the new student. "From Carmell High school…"

"Excuse me," the new student interrupted. Mr. Harrington raised an eyebrow, wondering why the student wouldn't just let him finish the introduction and allow him to start lecture. The new student only smiled. "I prefer to handle my own introductions."

Mr. Harrington only rolled his eyes. _Yeah, as if Kurt and Rachel were enough divas in my class. Figgins must be bitter about poker night last week. _"All right then, carry on."

The student smirked as she flipped her long black hair over her shoulder and smirked. She winked toward the classmates with a smile that could blind any who stared longer than four seconds. She stood atop Mr. Harrington's desk who tried to voice his disapproval. This was not registered by the young girl as she proceeded to dance and sing to the entire class. She finally pointed a thumb to herself, "My name is Giselle. Giselle Starr."

Rachel immediately felt jealousy wash over her when she heard that the girl's last name was "star." 

_Her prelude for her introduction was flawless too. Damn her. _Kurt thought to himself maliciously.

Mr. Harrington was already exasperated from dealing with divas in his classroom, "Ms. Starr, would you please come down? I would like to start lecture…"

Giselle only looked down as if the man before her were only an insect in comparison to her. "Very well," she said as she jumped from the desk onto the floor. She landed gracefully even though she was in heels and a dress. Giselle bowed as if she were in front of an audience who had come especially to see her.

Both Kurt and Mr. Harrington only rolled their eyes. Mr. Harrington gestured to a seat where she could sit, "That seat is empty. Rachel and Kurt, why don't you show Ms. Starr around after class?" he suggested to them off-handedly. Giselle approached her seat and Rachel could've _sworn _that the girl gave her a diva smirk. The kind that when they're directed at you, they meant that the smirker considers you inferior to their talent. She recognized it because _all _Vocal Adrenaline members had sent one in New Directions way whenever they visited each other's school.

She narrowed her eyes, unconsciously moving in her seat to be further away from her. She faced the board and scribbled her notes into her notebook. Occasionally, Rachel would cast a few glances in Giselle's direction, only to find her leaning back in her chair, her hands behind her head and eyes closed with a smile that spoke on its own: "I'm-the-best-and-you-are-only-an-insect."

Kurt casted venomous glares in Giselle's direction and his upper lip lifted into a snarl. _She thinks she's better than me!_ He turned away, pushing strands of hair away from his eyes. _I can't believe I have to lead her around the school, _and _with Rachel. Ugh._ He felt disgust climb from the pit of his stomach up to his throat, like bile.

The same stares were cast toward the new student from Carmell. Rachel wondered why Giselle wasn't paying attention. Biochemistry was the hardest branch, and she thinks she can get away with just filing her nails. Rachel turned away, returning back to her notes. "Ms. Starr!"

Rachel smirked. _That's what you get for not paying attention in class._

Giselle didn't look up from her hands, but she chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Harrington?" She blew on her nails.

"Perhaps you'd like to tell the class the composition of a protein," he suggested daringly.

Her attention still hadn't moved away from her nails that she deemed still needing a file down, "A combination of amino acids make up a protein."

Mr. Harrington shrugged his shoulders, deciding that maybe she was paying attention, "Correct. Now then—"

"Amino acids are bonded together by polypeptide bonds which allow the chain to bend and fold, creating a protein. The chaining of these amino acids begins in Transcription, where messenger RNA is created from a DNA strand with the enzyme RNA Polymerase and the exons are expelled from the nucleus of the cell. Then, translation begins, where the messenger RNA binds to the ribosome and transfer RNA attaches itself to a triplet nucleotide sequence called a codon on messenger RNA, similarly, the triple sequence on transfer RNA is called the anti-codon, and together, the transfer RNA is able to bring in the matching amino acid. The messenger RNA moves to reveal the next codon and the process repeats until a stop codon is reached and the amino acids are bonded together and are thus used in the cell," Giselle stated, still staring at her nails.

The whole class stared, dumbfounded at Giselle's in-depth explanation of protein synthesis. Mr. Harrington blinked. True, students were able to recite the process of protein synthesis, but never had a student ever been able to recite it without even stuttering or pausing to think. He cleared his throat. "Ms. Starr, although I appreciate your explanation, we are not going to be learning about transcription or translation until next week. Now then, the next compound of a living thing is a nucleic acid…" Mr. Harrington continued in his lecture.

Kurt and Rachel gaped at the girl who was merely filing her nails. Giselle smirked while leaning back in her chair. Rachel wondered if all Vocal Adrenaline members were geniuses. She could vaguely remember studying protein synthesis last year. She frowned and continued taking notes, occasionally looking up at the clock, hoping for the bell to ring. So far, her Monday wasn't going so well.

The bell rang and Rachel bolted out of her seat, and out the door. Mr. Harrington sighed after she was already outside, "Class dismissed…"

Kurt too went out the door, not very keen with the idea of showing Giselle Starr around the school. Before he could get too far, a hand had grabbed hold of his shoulder. He grimaced before turning around with a smile. "Oh, hello there. How do you like William McKinley so far?" _What do you want, Carmellian?_

Giselle returned the smile, "It's really great. I'm so excited for Glee Club!" _Your school freaking sucks! Not only is your Glee Club utterly inferior to ours, your academics are as well!_

Kurt tried to smile back as genuinely as possible. "Would you like me to show you around the school now?" _Get lost._

"Oh, that would be great! Thanks Kurt!" _Awww, don't say that! Just show me around! _She weaved her arm into Kurt's, a spot that was designated for a different female, his best friend, Mercedes Jones.

He tried not to disgustedly push her away. Instead, he eased his arm out of hers and snatched the schedule out of her hands. He lead the way to her next class, which also happened to be his.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rachel sat at her second period, praying for the bell to ring. Honestly, she really didn't want to be at school today. The only class she was interested in was Glee and English class, where Jesse would be. She silently prayed that Giselle Starr wouldn't come to join the club. That would mean Jesse would have a friend from Vocal Adrenaline, and then they have known each other longer, so they would have a history together and memories and inside jokes and before you know it…

_Rachel's imagination begins to get the better of her…_

_"Giselle, what are you doing here?" Jesse asked, quickly pushing Rachel out of his arms and onto the floor. She fell with a yelp and she tried to regain his attention by tugging on his shirt. She attempted to call for assistance from her other glee-mates, but they were all pre-occupied._

_Giselle on the other hand flipped her long jet black hair over her shoulder. It bounced before it cascaded down to her mid-back. She pushed a few strands behind her ear and had two fingers pressed to her lips shyly, "Oh, Jesse, you know that I couldn't go on in Vocal Adrenaline! It just wasn't the same without you!"_

_Jesse shoved Rachel away from him again. This time, she was unable to get up. Something, or someone was holding her down. She tried to figure out what it was, so that she could escape from their grasp, but she was too late. Jesse and Giselle had already found their way to each other, loving, touching, and squeezing. Ironically, the other Glee Club members began singing that song to her._

_Mercedes burst into song and danced around her, "Oh, he hasn't come home!"_

_Tina joined, "'Cuz he's loving…"_

_Quinn smirked down at her as she placed her hands on her opposite shoulders, rubbing them up and down her arms, "… he's touching…"_

_Santana and Brittany hugged each other and sang their hearts out, "He's squeezing!"_

_All the Glee Club took up in song, "Another!" They all moved away, revealing that Jesse and Giselle were at a chapel, wedding rings on each of their left ring fingers. Rachel gasped in horror and tried to run up the aisle in order to put an end to the madness, but this time, two sets of arms had rendered her unable to move. Rachel struggled against them, but couldn't get herself free._

_"Jesse!" she shouted, but in vain. The shout fell on deaf ears and she could only watch helplessly._

_Giselle laughed with her hand in front of her mouth as if she were being modest. She had her arm linked with another's as she walked outside a church, dressed in all white and a veil trailing behind her. The one her arm was joined with was none other than Jesse St. James, in all his tuxedo glory. The pair rushed out of the chapel as Rachel trailed behind, finally having broken free. Rachel tried and tried to reach out to him, but she could only watch as the mounted his motorcycle, a banner trailing behind them, proclaiming their marriage._

"No!" Rachel yelled out, standing up in her desk.

"Okay, jeez. If you don't want to go to the roof, you can just say so. You don't have to yell," Jesse said, sitting in the seat in front of her. His arms folded over his chest, "Is something wrong?" he asked, worried now, "I've been here for two minutes and you haven't said anything except, 'No!' Did something—Whoa!"

Rachel flung herself over the desk, clutching onto him for dear life. "You wouldn't leave me like that, you wouldn't leave me like that," she whispered in his ear frantically. She whispered it over and over again, as if trying to convince herself that he wouldn't.

Jesse tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Are you all right, Rachel?" he asked as he patted his girlfriend on the back.

Because Jesse and Rachel don't keep secrets in their relationship, (well except for Jesse's obvious one), Rachel explained her nightmare to Jesse in full detail, "… and now I fear that you'll actually leave me for the new Vocal Adrenaline student that transferred here, and I've developed a strong disliking for the song 'Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin',' by Journey."

Jesse had a dumbstruck look on his face. "Giselle is here? Giselle _Starr_ is here?" He asked, emphasizing the last name as if he were expecting the Giselle from the movie "Enchanted." He rubbed his temples in frustration. _Why would Shelby send _Giselle_ of all people? Why did she have to send a girl? Much less that one! At least with a guy, if he came too close, I could just utilize Finn Hudson and get the idiot to punch his lights out. _Jesse stopped his train of thought and grabbed hold of Rachel's shoulders. "You _have_ to, under any circumstances, avoid Giselle, okay? Don't ever let her be alone with you, okay? She might try to mislead you with some things, but don't believe her, ever."

Rachel stared back with confused and fearful eyes.

Jesse mirrored her gaze with a more determined look, "No matter what. You hear me?" Rachel gulped and only nodded slowly. Jesse smiled back, satisfied with her agreement. He stood and offered his hand to help her stand up, "Let's go. The bell's going to ring soo—"

A young brunette diva gasped, "Oh, great. The solo-hogs are here too." Kurt rolled his eyes as he placed his backpack nearby his seat.

A smile and a few words came from Jesse, "Don't worry, Kurt. We were just leaving."

"Good. I don't think I'll be able to hold my bile if _two_ Carmellians are hear," Kurt said while fixing his hair. His lips were pursed just slightly and it would appear that he was pouting to some, but to both Rachel and Jesse, Kurt was really practicing his expression for when cameras take pictures.

Jesse narrowed his eyes, realizing that Kurt had said _two _Carmellians. He quickly tugged on Rachel's wrist, trying to escape through the back door, "Let's go, Rachel. We're going to be late."

"Not so fast, Mr. St. James," a voice chimed from behind the pair.

"Ignore her," Jesse whispered to Rachel, now weaving his arm with hers. He reached the door and Jesse quickly pushed her outside. He glared over his shoulder to send a message to Giselle. _Stay away from Rachel._

Giselle snapped her fingers as if she were disappointed, "Oh, darn it! I missed my chance to truly acquaint myself with my upper-classman and his new girlfriend," she crossed her arms and smirked. "Hmph! No matter. I'll get my chance soon enough," she said as she looked down at her schedule and compared it to two other ones. She placed them back in her pocket and grinned. "See ya after lunch, Mr. St. James and Ms. Berry."

* * *

I have no idea what Giselle's real last name is. I didn't even know her actual name was Giselle! (Thanks, Glee wikia!)


	13. Chapter 13

A Threat to Rachel Berry  
Chapter 13

"What was that about?" Rachel asked once they were outside the classroom. Jesse was still clutching her hand tightly and was suspiciously looking around him. "Jesse?"

Jesse noticed that he had been ignoring Rachel this whole time and finally gave undivided attention to her, trying to allow the incident with Giselle pass, "Hmm?" She was still looking skeptical. To solve this, he kissed her on her forehead, hoping it would give Rachel reassurance. "It's nothing. Giselle and I have had an on-going rivalry, that's all." He lied again. Rivalry was not the word. Complete and utter domination was more accurate.

"So, I… shouldn't be cautious about any ulterior motives?"

"Of course not," Jesse kicked himself in his mind for lying to her again. They finally reached Rachel's classroom and Jesse smiled down at her in front of the door. "I'll see you soon, care bear."

Rachel nodded embarrassedly at the nickname as her cheeks turned a faint pink. Jesse didn't fail to notice this as his smile grew wider. He turned to leave, but Rachel caught his wrist. He was surprised by this and he inclined his head to see what was wrong. "I love you," Rachel told him, staring deeply into his eyes, searching for sincerity.

"Yeah. Me too," Jesse said before breaking his wrist from her grip.

Rachel stared after him, dumbfounded. She stood there for a few seconds, watching his retreating figure. He never looked back at her. She dropped to her knees, forgetting completely about class. "'Yeah. Me too.' Is that all you have to say, Jesse?" She asked aloud. She gulped and her voice cracked as she spoke. "No, that's not the correct response," she gathered herself together and walked into the classroom.

Rachel found herself to be in her own world, not at all focusing on the lesson. Luckily, she sat in the back, and Rachel wasn't completely obvious when she dazed off. She stared at her paper and crossed her arms. _I say I love him and all he says is "Yeah. Me too." Where is the sincerity in that? Was it wrong for me to forgive him so soon? Perhaps I was too caught up in the moment and I impulsively let him back in… So, should I close him out again?_

A sharp stab went through her heart at the idea. _No. That's the problem. When I said, "I love you," I meant it… I was sincere and there wasn't a doubt in my being that they were my feelings toward him. And that's why I can't lose him; he's become my will to live. _If she wasn't in a classroom, a she would probably have her cheeks running with tears. _So, that must be why it hurts _so much_ to think that he isn't feeling the same way._

Realization struck Rachel. _Jesse has never told me that he loves me. I mean, the phrase has such deep meaning , and if Jesse feels the way I think he does toward me, then he can surely say the phrase, "I love you," to me. Three words, four if I say it first. Maybe that's not the way he feels toward me… What if—_

The dismissing bell rang and it left Rachel dumbfounded. She was so absorbed in her thoughts of Jesse, the bell had rung. She looked at the clock. In fact, it was time for lunch. She hadn't realized that she unconsciously walked to class as it was a normal everyday thing. She wondered if she had bumped into people in the halls and if this technique she had invented was always at her disposal. And then, she remembered Jesse and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

She walked outside, fully expecting him to be waiting outside her classroom for her.

He wasn't.

She was sure that her heart couldn't sink any lower. She trudged to her locker, thinking that he would be waiting over there. Again, he wasn't. She disappointedly waited at her locker. She leaned against the wall, and let herself sit on the floor with her back to the locker doors. She took out her lunch after hearing her stomach growl and raised the peanut butter and jelly sandwich to her mouth. She tentatively took a bite and hugged her knees to her chest. She picked up her thermos of herbal tea and sipped at the calming drink and began munching on her apple slices. She looked around again for Jesse and dejectedly gave up on the idea that he'd come. She sighed after finishing her lunch and buried her head into her arms, thinking a nap might be beneficial.

"Rachel."

"Jesse?" Rachel called out to the unknown voice. Her eyes blurred before they came into focus before glazing over with disappointment. "Oh. Hi, Finn."

A stab struck his heart when she said Jesse's name. He shook it off and smiled as he took a seat next to her, leaning against the lockers. "What are you doing out here by yourself?" Finn asked, resting his elbow on his knee, with an inquisitive expression.

Rachel sighed deeply and finally looked at Finn. "Waiting for Jesse…"

"What, did he go to the bathroom or something?"

"No… I've been waiting for him since the start of lunch."

Now, Finn looked confused. "Lunch is half over… you've been waiting for half an hour?"

Rachel shrugged. "I took a nap."

Finn noticed Rachel's obvious depression from the absence of Jesse. "Why don't we go look for him, then?" he asked, standing up. He hovered over her with a hand outstretched.

The New Direction's female lead looked up at Finn with confusion. "Why would you want to help with my relationship with Jesse?" She stared, her gaze never straying away from Finn's brown eyes.

Finn shifted his weight, suddenly feeling shy. He rubbed the back of his neck, almost sheepishly. Her piercing stare was too much for him and he turned away, embarrassed. "Well, it's just that," he sighed as if finishing the sentence would be the hardest thing for him. "Okay," he took a deep breath before kneeling down to her level so that she didn't have to stare up.

She blinked expectantly at him.

He, on the other hand, gulped down a lump that felt like a rock. "I'm just going to go ahead and say it. I… I love you, Rachel. And… well," he stopped midsentence to mutter, "as much as I hate him…" he continued, "he makes you happy. And I can see that, so for you, I'm willing to let go and—"

Rachel jumped Finn, nearly successful in knocking him into the ground. He had amazing balance, and though he staggered from the sudden weight, he maintained his stability despite his astonishment. "R-Rachel!" He managed to croak out. He looked to the side, embarrassed, "I didn't think it'd make you _this_ happy…"

"He's never said that to me…" Rachel whispered near Finn's ear, which made him shiver. She gulped and held back tears, "He's _never_ said he loved me as sincerely as you did…"

Finn's expression softened as several emotions washed over him. Disappointment with Jesse, sympathy for Rachel, but most of all, anger at himself for what he did next. He pulled her away from choking him in her bear hug, "But, you love him. Don't you?"

Rachel didn't hesitate in her response, "More than anything or anyone."

Once again, he felt a stab at his heart at the words "anyone." He ignored the sharp pain and continued, "Give up on him, Rachel. I'll love you, and take care of you. The only tears you'll cry are tears of happiness. I'll treat you right this time, and I'll go on board with any ideas you have… no matter how crazy they are," Finn told her, grabbing both of her shoulders.

Immediately, Rachel's expression transformed from one of grief to one of guilt. "Finn, I—"

"When are you going to understand that he's just not into you the way that I am?"

"But—"

"You _know _he doesn't feel the same way you do, and yet you just keep holding on!"

"I know, but—"

"He's our enemy, Rachel! And the only reason he started dating you is because—"

"I KNOW!" Rachel shouted, sick of being cut off by Finn. "I know…" Rachel whispered, still fighting off tears. Courage washed over her as she looked Finn in the eye, "But, he's all I've got."

"But you've got me…"

"He's all I want, he's all I need, he's my everything!" she stood up now, a look of determination replacing her once dejected and depressed expression. She grabbed her book bag before leaving the scene, off to find Jesse.

Finn, on the other hand, was left with his thoughts as he leaned against the lockers. He sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his hair before frantically rubbing the back of his neck as if scolding himself. "'Don't worry about me, Rachel! I'm happy as long as you're happy!'" He stared at the crazy cat calendars she had given him. Picking them up, a defeated expression graced his features. He sighed, "As if a selfish guy like me can be happy without you."

He stood up slowly before walking in the direction of the Cheerio's table. "Maybe I should go ask Kurt to practice some lines from the song…"

Rachel had checked everywhere to find Jesse: his classrooms, the lunch line, the student store, the library, the auditorium, the Glee table, and even Mr. Schuester's office. The only place left was the Glee Club room. She was jogging up to the room when she heard voices from the room. She stopped a few feet from the door, still in earshot. She hid between the door frame and the hall window. She listened to the conversation being held.

"You're not _actually_ interested in her. I know you're not."

She heard mumbling, but she couldn't quite make out the response.

"Oh, don't give me that. You said the same thing about me to our buddies back at V.A."

Rachel covered her mouth to control the sound of her hyper ventilation and the gasp that nearly escaped. _What had he said about Giselle and her?_

Once again, Jesse's response was mumbled and Rachel couldn't understand at all.

"Oh, come _on_! I know you're not interested in her because I know you're still not over me!" Giselle had shouted loudly, and yet her voice still sounded as peaceful and pleasant as a bird.

Rachel _really _wished she could hear what Jesse's responses were.

"It's okay, Jesse! I _understand_ if you don't want to admit it! I mean, after all, I _am _the one who's been stealing all your thunder, and Ms. Corcoran is already deciding to make me your replacement. It's only _natural_ to feel jealousy."

"Shut up," Finally Rachel could hear Jesse clearer. "The only thing I feel toward you now is a burning sense of _disgust_."

"I highly doubt you felt that way at your junior prom. After all, I was your first—"

"That's the past! I told you that I don't feel anything—"

Rachel had now decided to make an appearance at the door, her eyes wide with disbelief, and her knees were shaking. Jesse stared back, eyes wide as well. "Rachel…" Suddenly, fear struck him, "How much did you hear?" He asked, reaching a hand toward her.

_I was your first_. _I was your first. I was your first_. The words echoed in Rachel's mind. She held her hands over her ears as if that would drown out the noise.

The Vocal Adrenaline female lead grinned from ear to ear. "Rachel, yoo hoo," Giselle called.

She looked up to be greeted with her boyfriend in the arms of Giselle star. She gasped, remembering her previous nightmare again.

"You understand, don't you?" Giselle asked as she wrapped her arms tighter around Jesse's torso.

Rachel didn't even look a second longer before running out the door.

"Rachel!"

* * *

Ending was kind of rushed. I would've just abandoned this story (like a lot of other ones I posted) but I don't think I could handle another incomplete story on my conscience before starting a new one. Who here likes a Sonny with A Chance fic based off of Skip Beat? :D


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